Breaking Waves and Boundaries
by Melanie Brooke1
Summary: Katniss and her friends are headed to the shore for their last summer together before their lives truly begin. She certainly didn't expect to wake up under a naked Peeta Mellark after their first night away from college. With the boundaries of their lifelong friendship broken, Katniss can only hope that her last summer will be the best she's ever had. KatnissXPeeta, AU.
1. Chapter 1

**Rated M for some mature themes, language, and content. The Hunger Games and all of its characters are owned by the brilliant Suzanne Collins. **

**Well, here we go! This is my first ever published work of fiction :) I hope you like it. I'm quite new to this so I'd appreciate some reviews telling me what I can improve upon. I'm very bad at titles, so if you come up with a better one, PLEASE let me know. Enjoy :)**

-Mel

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"Come on! It's gonna leave without us, Katniss!" Johanna groaned impatiently, clutching a tree as she bent to replace her 5-inch pumps with some worn black Converse. Her expression was cross as her black graduation gown kept getting in the way of her feet. They were all standing a few feet away from an old stone building where people were starting to gather for a reception, and Johanna wanted to leave before anyone could stop and distract her. Katniss and Prim watched with amusement a few yards away from her. The taller brunette turned back to her younger sister and clutched her shoulders tightly before pulling her into their third hug good-bye.

"Go already, you're gonna have so much fun!" Prim's fingers tugged playfully on the end of Katniss's makeshift braid. "And congratulations. I'm so proud of you, Katniss. Really." The younger blonde took Katniss's diploma from her hands, carefully placing it into a black purse.

"This will be hanging up on the wall when you get back, I swear."

"I'm gonna miss you, little duck." Katniss pulled away from her and beamed. "Be good, okay? You'll have fun with mom, and I think I've just about convinced her to let you come down for a weekend." She laughed as Prim's eyes widened with excitement. She was about to lean in to hug her again when one of the guys called for them to hurry the hell up. She shook her head, a small smile playing at the corners of her lips. She didn't even look up to see who it was, her eyes focused solely on Prim, who she'd be leaving for the third time this year. Katniss was really going to miss her little sister.

"I gotta go, Prim. I'll call you when we get there." Quickly, she slipped into some black flip-flops, clutching her own wedged sandals in her left hand and her graduation cap in another. She bent to kiss Prim's forehead before she turned and ran to catch up with Jo, who by now was leaning against the very same tree trying to light a cigarette.

"Take tons of pictures, okay?" Prim called after her. "And let your hair down a little, for god's sake. It's summer!" Katniss turned away and grinned. "Of course, Prim. I promise." For her graduation gift, Prim had given Katniss a digital camera. It was unlike any camera she'd ever had before; it was made of golden material, had a screen on the front and the back, and took excellent high quality pictures. There was even an engravment below the lens: _"_ To Katniss, with love. –Prim." Short, sweet, and simple. Just the way she liked it.

"Really, Jo?" Katniss had caught up to her friend, plucking the cigarette away from her fingers and chucking it into a trashcan nearby. "Plenty of time for that later." She grabbed her hand and pulled her towards the parking lot, where already their friends were gathered around a huge white van, watching them in annoyance.

"Bye Prim!" Katniss called over her shoulder again, glancing one last time at her eighteen-year old sister whose frilly white sundress was waving in the gentle breeze. She had pulled her black sunglasses down over her eyes, and was shaking her head as her shoulders shook with laughter. Where had her little sister gone, the one who's shirt was never tucked in? The one she used to sing to at night? Heaving a sigh, she turned back to Jo, who was scowling again.

"It's been a good fifteen minutes, Kat. You seriously need to work on making your goodbyes a teensy bit quicker." They were in the parking lot now, speed walking towards the van, looking like idiots as they raced each other to the huge white truck. They hadn't even stayed for the family reception. Katniss's mom had visited her a week before school ended to stay congratulations and goodbye, but she had a full time job at a nursing home and couldn't often take time off.

As soon as they had thrown their caps into the air and raced to find them, Katniss left to find Prim, the only other family member who could make it to her college graduation. Prim was her favorite person in the world. She was beautiful, humble, and unbelievably smart. It was Prim's dream to become a neurosurgeon. She told Katniss this one night after they had lost track of time and stayed up talking past three in the morning. They told each other everything, so it really pained Katniss when she had to leave for college, where she wouldn't be able to ask Prim a question any time she'd wanted to. Plus, saying goodbye was really important to her. When she was younger she hadn't been able to say goodbye to her dad before her mother received the news that he'd been shot while on duty. Prim was young then, but Katniss was old enough to understand that he was never coming back. It was still something that to this day she still struggled to accept. So Katniss just shrugged Johanna off.

"Speaking of goodbyes, I can't wait to fucking get rid of this place. I mean I love it, don't get me wrong. I'm just _so_ done." They had reached the van now, where a few of the guys were gathered around the trunk, looking through coolers and hoisting suitcases and duffels into the very back of the vehicle. They were checking to make sure they had everything they needed.

"I know what you mean," Johanna quipped, grabbing Katniss's cap and chucking it along with their shoes into the trunk, barely missing Gale's head. He didn't seem to notice, as he was hurriedly reading over a clipboard, no doubt a list containing all of their necessities for the trip. That was _so_ Gale. Always making sure everything was in the right place, because if it wasn't, they wouldn't have a good time. Katniss reached forward to pinch one of his butt cheeks and he raised his head in surprise, but she had already dragged Johanna to the side of the van where the door was open.

Thresh was in the front seat, seatbelt on and everything. His hands were already on the wheel. He rolled his eyes as the girls hoisted themselves up into the van in a fit of giggles.

"Shut up, Thresh," Johanna spat, flicking him on the back of his head with her newly manicured nail. Johanna pushed in front of Katniss and began making her way to the back of the twelve-person van they had all chipped in for. They were renting it for the summer because they all agreed they would, for the most part, be together anyways. Katniss pulled at the hem of her denim shorts that she had rushed to change into after the ceremony had ended. Her blue tank top with the name of her alma mater written on the front was already sticking to her skin. It had to be at least ninety degrees outside.

"Check your fly, Katniss," Marvel said, louder than it needed to be, stretched out across a seat nearby. His long legs nearly took up the whole row, where he had already fashioned a makeshift bed out of beach towels and everyone else's pillows. She looked down and laughed, pulling it up swiftly. "Thanks dude." He nodded and winked at her, pulling a baseball cap down over his eyes. It seemed like he was already on his way to relaxation. She stumbled her way down the aisle to the very back of the bus, eyeing the empty seat in the last row, when she tripped and nearly fell over someone's outstretched leg.

"Whoaaa, Kitty Kat. Better watch your feet. That would have made a really nasty and very embarrassing fall." Peeta grinned up at her, grasping her wrist to help steady her body. He was seated in the second-to-last row, one headphone in his ear, his IPhone balanced carefully on his thigh. A few golden curls stuck to his forehead, and Katniss resisted the urge to wipe them away. He shook his head, mocking disapproval, his beautiful blue eyes laced with laughter. She only pursed her lips at him. God, she hated that name. Kitty Kat. But it had been his nickname for her since the seventh grade, and she didn't think he was going to change it any time soon. Instead, she gripped his fingers and squeezed them a little too hard.

"You know, PeePee, if your hairy-ass leg wasn't sticking out of the aisle so far, I don't think I would've tripped over it." She bent down dramatically and lifted his protruding leg, purposely pulling at some of his blonde leg hairs, and pushed it back into his own row. She straightened up and collapsed into the back seat, crossing her ankles and propping her feet up near Peeta's ear.

"Ouch. PeePee. I actually haven't heard that one in a while," he winced and rubbed at his leg where she had pulled his hair. He picked up a blue Gatorade, popping the cap, and pulled a navy blue hat onto his head so that the visor was facing backwards. It pushed his curls even farther down his forehead. Peeta took a sip of the blue drink, turning to face her. He slowly licked off the line of blue that had collected on his upper lip, and Katniss suddenly wanted to taste the drink. She was about to reach out and grab it when Gale jumped into the van. It shook for a few seconds as he slid the door shut, sloshing both her and Peeta with the Gatorade. Gale smiled and bent his head so that it wasn't touching the roof.

"One, Two, Three, Four, Five, Six, Seven, Eight," he started to count off. "…. Wait. Where's Finnick?" His finger landed on the empty seat that should have housed a handsome, toned, and tan young man. All of their heads turned to look for their friend impatiently. Katniss half expected him to pop out from the trunk with a six-pack of beer. It was _really _time to get going. Any later and they were going to hit a shit-load of traffic.

"Oh god." It was Annie that spoke; the last person Katniss thought would have acknowledged Finnick's absence. She and Finn didn't really get along. It all started as soon as Katniss had introduced the two during one of their first college parties as freshman. Finnick was instantly smitten with her, asking her out the moment their hands touched. Annie, shy and secluded, could only look down at her feet as her cheeks flushed a deep red. When she politely declined, Finnick was hurt. It's been awkward ever since.

Annie raised her hand to cover her mouth as she looked out the window, her eyes trained on something outside the car. In the matter of a moment they had all clambered to the left side of the van, so now it was very obviously weighted down.

Katniss lowered her head to peer out of the glass, trying to find what all of her friends were watching so intently.

"Oh…my…" She repeated her friend. There was Finnick, stripped down to nothing but a pair of tighty whities and his graduation cap, making a beeline for the van. They all watched in silence as heads (both parents and graduates alike) turned from every direction to watch the scene unfolding before them as he pushed his way through the gathering crowd. A goofy grin was plastered on his face as he shimmied in between the trees, headed for their direction.

"Um," Peeta blinked, not averting his eyes. He was trying not to crack up. "You should drive away." A moment of silence passed before Thresh slammed on the gas, throwing everybody violently back into their seats.

"GO GO GO!" Gale grasped the two front seats, craning his neck to catch a glimpse of Finnick. There was fear in his eyes, an emotion rarely expressed by carefree Finnick. He obviously wasn't expecting this latest hitch in his 'last-day-of-school-forever-going-out-with-a-bang' stunt. Last year's prank had been immensely successful. As the graduating class had had their picture taken on the steps of the main building, Finnick (along with a few who preferred to be kept anonymous but were currently inside the van watching their chief conspirator run for his life) had dumped bins full of freezing cold pool water on to their poor, slicked and primped heads. That had landed him in some pretty deep shit. So this year's surprise was a pretty ballsy move on his part. Katniss was pretty sure that indecent exposure on the school's campus could get him kicked out. But it probably didn't matter now that they were leaving for good. That's probably what ran through Finn's brain 30 seconds before he began to strip. He ran down the North hill, gaining speed as he neared road. Somebody threw their diploma at him, but he ducked it and ran even faster. His long legs and track-star body had helped him to keep up for a while, but he was beginning to tire. By now they were nearing the edge of the campus, about to pull off of the main road and onto the freeway. It was only when they were out of everyone's sight behind a line of trees that they finally slowed down for their friend. Gale slid the door open, doubled over in laughter as his red-faced friend practically dove into the van.

"Fuck. You. Guys." He gasped, splayed out on the van's floor as he tried to regain his breath. Katniss slid back into her seat, trying unsuccessfully to contain a chuckle, and leaned down so that she was close to Finnick's ear.

"I want you so bad right now," she whispered to him, sliding her finger under the waistband of his underwear, pulling it back and releasing it so that it snapped back onto his skin with a loud crack.

They all busted into laughter and handed Finn a bottle of water and some shorts before they situated themselves back into their seats, starting to get comfortable for the three-hour ride ahead of them. It was a long day, and they were all worn out, especially Finnick. He glared at anyone who caught his eye, obviously not ready to forgive them for betraying him in front of everyone. Katniss just sighed and watched through the window as they finally pulled out of the campus grounds. She watched the thick, shady trees as they began to grow fewer and fewer. They passed the apartment where she had spent the last four years of her life bunked up with Johanna, Madge, and Annie. She had meant what she said before; she was done with college. But she was still going to miss it. College had been the best four years of her life. It was where she had met her best friends, and made some of her best and happiest memories. She smiled to herself, thinking that Prim was getting ready to leave for her own college adventure in the fall for the first time.

Now they were on the highway, and she glanced around the van; most of them were sleeping, some were chatting quietly, and Finnick was still moping, but she couldn't contain her smile. She and her friends were heading for the shore for the entire summer, where they were going to stay at a huge beach house that they had chipped in to rent right on a private beach. When she had heard of the plan for the first time a few months before graduation, she doubted it would ever work. There were too many people and none of them would be able to afford it. Gale and Finnick, the masterminds, wouldn't let their idea be thrown away, though. One Saturday night instead of heading to their usual party, the girls were invited to Gale's apartment that he shared with Peeta and Finnick. Peeta cooked them a delicious meal, and Katniss had probably had one too many glasses of wine when she finally agreed to the plan and helped to convince the other girls.

To be able to afford the summer vacation they all had to compromise. She, Jo, Peeta, Finnick, and Gale had all gotten jobs as lifeguards at the beach. They were the most athletic out of all of their friends, besides Thresh; he was going to be a personal trainer in the beach community that they were going to be staying at. Marvel and a guy named Dill who was fairly new to their friend group, (but was a great guy nonetheless), mostly wanted to spend their summer scoping out the chicks, but they decided to find jobs at the local golf course. Madge, Delly, Annie, and Rue were either going to work shifts at a nearby breakfast place, clean some of the other houses in the neighborhood, or babysit the landlord's kids. The house they were staying at was definitely not a cheap one; There were seven bedrooms, nine bathrooms, a huge kitchen, a workout-room, a theater area, and a study. The best part, Katniss thought, was the huge wrap-around porch that overlooked the beach from the back, and the beautiful sunny community at the front. This was going to be their home for the summer, so they needed a big place for twelve people. As for the number of bedrooms…well, they were going to have to make it work. _Some of us are probably going to end up shacking up anyway before the end of the summer,_ Katniss thought with a small laugh.

Peeta turned at the sound of her voice and leaned back to meet her gaze. She smiled brightly at him, and he could only reciprocate, his blue eyes and her grey ones sparkling with excitement and anticipation. This wasn't the first vacation she had been on with her friends; in fact, she, Peeta, Gale, and Madge had visited Washington D.C. for their high school graduation four years back. It was the first time that they had been on their own without supervision. _God_, she thought, _that seemed like yesterday._

They were ecstatic when they met Finnick and Annie their freshman year, because it made them feel better about barely knowing anyone. It seemed to boost their popularity level even the slightest bit around the small school, which was more than they could have asked for. In his first week at the college Finnick had already established a notorious reputation of player/prankster/master romancer. They all grew so close (despite Finnick and Annie's slightly tense relationship), making new friends along the way until they had established possibly the best group of friends on the entire campus. They threw the best parties and they even had a few classes together. They put all judgment aside and helped each other through the best and worst of times, like when Finnick's mother died, when Johanna lost her little brother, when Thresh's family lost their house, and even when Peeta's mother developed a rare form of cancer. She never expected to have made so many friends. She wasn't very good at doing that. But now that college was over, Katniss would be heading off to a veterinary school the following year, all by herself. Despite her love for hunting, Katniss loved domestic animals and had aspired to be a vet ever since her sister had rescued a tiny kitten from a dumpster. A nasty old brat he had turned out to be, but Buttercup made her sister happy and that (she guessed) was all that mattered.

But now thoughts of school could be pushed aside, for as each minute passed they were getting closer to their destination. Her friends were starting to rouse when the salty sea air hit their faces, and they rolled down the windows to take it all in. Finnick even stuck his head out of the window, panting like a dog, only to be pulled abruptly back into the vehicle by Gale when a passing truck had zoomed ahead of them. Katniss re-braided her hair, checking to make sure that she had all of her belongings before she sat back for the rest of the ride. She could only hope that this would be an amazing summer, because it was probably the last one that she would be able to spend with these amazingly dorky people she had grown to love.

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**I hope you liked the first chapter! It was very fun to write. I'll try to put up the next one soon, and I'll post a link to a blog containing pictures of the story on my profile. Thanks guys!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2! So I just wanted to make it clear that although there are 12 people living in the house, I will mainly be focusing on K & P (obviously), Finnick, Gale, Madge, and Jo. The others will pop in here and there. And I know that the setting is kind of hard to wrap your head around...I have a very specific imagination :P But I''ll post a link to a blog with some pictures I had in mind. Maybe I'll even draw a map. XD ENJOY!**

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Thresh made a sharp right turn onto a wide, winding road that Katniss guessed was the beginning of their private beach development. Everyone was awake and alert now. Through the spaces between houses and buildings she could glimpse the great blue mass that was the ocean. With the windows rolled down, the salty breeze whipped everyone's hair into their faces. Katniss gave up on trying to contain the flyaways that kept hitting her cheek. The air felt too good to worry about it. Their eyes looked this way and that, trying to spot the house they'd be staying in for the next ten or so weeks.

That night at Gale's apartment a few months prior, they had all gathered around his 13-inch laptop as he brought up the image of their 'humble abode'. Katniss rested her hands on Finnick's bare shoulders, her chin nuzzled into the crook of his neck. She huffed impatiently as the webpage loaded.

_"My GOD Gale. Get a new computer!" She whined, her nails digging into Finn's skin. He playfully swatted at her to cut it out, but it was half-hearted as he was too bored and tired to really care._

_"Calm your tits, Kitty," Finnick cooed. It seemed as though Peeta's childhood nickname had amused their other friends. She was not very happy about that. _

_"As a matter of fact, I recall you telling me once that you bought that laptop for Gale for his 18th birthday." Damn. She'd almost forgotten. Peeta was on Finn's other side, his eyes watching the circling 'loading' symbol like he was mesmerized. The light from the computer screen reflected on his face, illuminating his features, especially his eyes. Delly was perched on Peeta's knee, Rue was sharing a chair with Tresh, and Jo held Madge around the waist as they tried to balance themselves on their own stool, creating quite the ruckus._

_"Ew, Finnick," Katniss narrowed her eyes as she inhaled, loosening her grip on his arms._

_"You smell like...sex." He shifted on his stool so that his back pressed blatantly into Katniss's chest. All the guys wore their sweatpants and a T-shirt. Most of them hadn't had time for a shower after they returned from their afternoon run. Finnick had 'accidentally' forgotten to cover his torso. It was probably because he took pleasure in making his friends uncomfortable with his open sexual humor. Finnick just smirked, Thresh snorted, and Peeta coughed knowingly. He said nothing for a moment, only waggled his eyebrows, enticing a giggle from Delly and an eye-roll from Annie. _

_"Gertrude McBride. Quite possibly the nicest ass on campus." His eyes grew wide and blank and Katniss guessed he was probably remembering the experience. Unlike most people, Finnick really mind discussing his sex life. It was the topic of many of their conversations, actually._

_"Except for you, Annie-poo," he threw in for good measure. Annie ignored him. Katniss pretended to gag, loosening her grip on his shoulders. She turned her gaze towards the screen abruptly when she heard Madge gasp quietly. _

_"Oh my goodness. It's really big!"_

_Finnick laughed behind her. "Why thank you," He winked. Katniss elbowed him in the gut and looked at the image before them. Madge was right. It was a fairly large house, resting atop a sandy dune on the seashore. It was painted pale blue and yellow, and from what she could see there were three large tiers above an upper deck and a wrap around porch. What caught her attention immediately was the sheer amount of windows that decorated the exterior. A huge window in the center of the house was surrounded by ones of all different sizes. It was definitely unique. _

They pulled up to a fork in the road, and in the center was a tiny shed-like building with a window on either side. Freshly planted flowers and too-green-to-be-real grass surrounded it. A tiny white-picket fence separated the grass from the asphalt. They couldn't move forward because of the gate that was blocking their path. Thresh casually rolled his window down so that his elbow leaned out of the van. They grew quiet when he called hesitantly in the direction of the building.

"…Hello?" There was a moment of silence before they heard someone stirring inside.

"…GOD DAMMIT. Can't get ONE minute of PEACE without some ASSHOLE disturbing…" They heard more clamoring and a few crashes and a 'click' as the blind was drawn and the window was slid open. A pair of red glazed-over eyes greeted them, flicking back and forth and adjusting to the light. Inch by inch a middle-aged man's face leaned toward the van, his expression sullen and perturbed. His shaggy blonde mop of hair was stuck to his skin in some places where he had been sleeping on it.

"Ahh," the man coughed, and Katniss was suddenly overwhelmed with the stench of vomit and alcohol. "Y'must be the young'uns in fer the summer, amiright?" His breath staggered as he pointed a finger in their direction, but to no one in particular. Thresh nodded swiftly, a bit frightened.

"Yeah…we're supposed to be in number 15...15 North Mockingjay Court? The…uhm…the blue and yellow one?"

The man sighed, rubbing his tired eyes with the base of his palms.

"I _know_ which house it is, boy. It's MINE, godammit. Unappreciative little bast-"

"Hello, sir!" Gale interrupted his insult, leaning over the center console to wave at the man. "We're so sorry to disturb you, but we're very new to the area. If you could just point us in the right direction, we'll be on our way, and you can get back to…well, whatever you were doing."  
That was Gale. He could smooth-talk his way out of anything. Katniss's heart sank, however, when she realized the man owned the house they were to be staying at. Judging by the condition of the tiny shed, she was afraid that their house would reek or be really dirty. Had anyone seen pictures of the inside?

"Thataway," he pointed to the left road, the row of houses that rested right on the beachfront. Gale nodded in thanks and Thresh stepped on the gas pedal, but a loud

"HEY!" from behind them caused their friend to brake once again. He shifted the van into reverse and drove backwards until he was parallel to the window. The shaggy man held up a yellowed notecard.

"M'supposed to read you this," he shrugged, licking his lips. "Name's Haymitch, by the way. Live in the house one down from yours." Katniss's heart dropped even lower in her chest.

"Ahem. _Welcome,_" he read, squinting as he held the notecard close to his face. _"To Mockingjay Court. We are a close-knit little development consisting of ten separate houses all within 100 yards of Capitol Beach. It is a family-like environment, and very kid friendly," _he peered the young adults looking at him from inside the van._ "In the center of the court is a small park we like to call 'the Cornucopia', for there is an abundance of things to do there, like a sports field complete with sports equipment, a shaded pavilion, a grill, and even a jungle gym. The beach, to your left, is welcome to anyone who has a Capitol Beach Tag. You'll find a few fire pits there, but they are to be used ONLY between the hours of 8:00pm to 1:30 am. There's a boardwalk that goes on for about a mile and a half, it's mostly used for running. We have a few rules for you. Number one. Please respect all property as if it was your own. Number two. No alcohol is allowed in the park or on the beach unless you are twenty-one years of age or older."_

Hidden from Haymitch's view, they all shared a smile and a knowing look. The youngest person, Rue, was 21.

_"Number four. Capitol Beach is NOT a nude beach. Please wear proper beach attire." _

Finnick raised his hand tentatively. "Do speedos count as proper beach attire? I brought one with me just in case," he looked Haymitch straight in the eye, and Katniss couldn't help the giggle that escaped her lips. He gave Finnick possibly the dirtiest stare she'd ever seen, but Finn kept his cool until Haymitch continued.

_Number five. Please keep down the noise past 1:30 am, and be conscious of the younger children that may live in the houses around you. Last but not least, number six. Have…fun." _Haymitch sighed, slapping the notecard down and retreating back into the shed, only to return a few seconds later with a key ring that held four keys.

"The two blue ones are for the house. We're a fairly safe area, and I'm sure you won't be robbed…but just be careful anyways. I suggest you give these to the most responsible. Erm…the green one opens the equipment shed at the park, and the black one opens the bins for the fire pit equipment. PLEASE don't light the beach on fire."

He stared at them, and they stared back.

"Um...well like I said, I'm Haymitch, I live in 13. The…the pink one." He frowned. "My, uh…my g-my friend Effie and I live together, so if you ever need anything, you can just stop by. Okay? Now get the hell outta here already. OH! Wait. If you turn around and make a right, there's a grocery store down the street, and there's a few good restaurants in the area. Cross the bridge and you'll be downtown, where there's shopping and a movie theater and more places to eat." He stopped talking, and Katniss guessed that this was the end of his speech.

"You can go now."

"Thanks man!" Thresh called before taking the road to the left as Haymitch instructed. Katniss leaned forward, trying to take everything in; to their right and in the center of the circle-shaped development was what Haymitch had called _The Cornucopia. _A few lights illuminated a basketball court and a smallish soccer field. She was sure that the guys would spend a lot of time here, playing football or just chilling out. They passed a large brown house, a quaint pink one (Haymitch and Effie's), and finally Thresh pulled up to a big yellow and blue house. Number 15.

He pulled slowly up the driveway, making sure that he didn't drive into the sand, and put the car in park. Katniss's mood began to lift as soon as the ocean came into view. Waves lapped at the shore, and the only thing she felt like doing was stripping off her clothes and jumping in. Plus, if the view from their driveway was this spectacular, she couldn't wait to see what it would look like from her room.

"Everyone grab your shit and pick a room!" Gale shouted, hopping out of the van. "We'll have to double up, but one lucky person will get a room all to themselves."

He circled the van and popped the trunk, and soon everyone was out stretching their legs in the cool late-afternoon air.

Katniss didn't mind sharing a room. She actually preferred it, anyway. She and Johanna had already made a plan to share a room for the summer. The girls got along really well, and they both had so much in common. Picking up their bags, she leaned over to her friend.  
"Jo, go grab a room, quick. The best one. Facing the beach, okay?" she all but demanded. Johanna made a face and lifted her hands; she didn't like to be bossed.

"Jeez, Kat. What's got your panties all in a twist?" She snorted and made her way up the driveway.

"That would be meeeee!" Finnick sang, practically sprinting passed them into the house, hoisting a duffel bag over his shoulders. Peeta followed behind him, grinning. "Finn, you set up the stuff. I'll stock the fridge." She could hear the cold beers clinking around inside one of the coolers he held over his shoulder. He winked clumsily in Katniss's direction before following the others, and the screen door slammed behind him.

_My friends are so weird,_ she thought, shaking her head. Unlike her all-too-eager friends, she wanted to have a look around before going inside. It had been years since she'd been to a beach, and even then that one wasn't nearly as nice as this. When her mother had saved up some money some ten years ago, she took Katniss and Prim to the beach for the weekend. They spent the days splashing around in the water and the nights walking the boards, licking their dripping ice cream cones. In fact, that had been one of Katniss's most fond memories.

She put her backpack and her suitcase on the wooden stairs leading up to the door, and took off her flip-flops. She walked up the driveway until the faded black asphalt met the sandy beach. Katniss swirled her toe in the sand, liking the way it felt as it shifted under her feet. It was rather cool, she realized, because the sun was already setting, coating the beach in a beautiful orange color.

_If I could stop the world and live in this moment for the rest of my life, I would._

It was moments like these where Katniss often caught herself slipping into more depressing thoughts, like her father's death and her mother's emotional withdrawal. Her childhood hadn't been a breeze. She matured a lot faster than the other kids her age, and slowly found herself replacing her mom's place as head of the household. Her mother's depression had been clinical for the most of three years, before Katniss demanded that she'd finally get some help. It took a great deal of patience and energy to be able to get her and her mom's relationship back to where it had been before. Mostly, she did it for Prim. Because she needed someone besides her sister to look up to.

She decided that being alone probably wasn't too good for her. It made her feel helpless and unwanted, and that was why she agreed to come on the trip. A summer surrounded by her closest friends who loved and cared deeply about her would bring out the best in her and allow her to just let go.

Katniss sighed and pulled her hair into a high ponytail and nearly jumped when she heard him clear his throat behind her.

"GOD, Peeta," she gasped, turning around sharply. He always made the same sound when he cleared his throat. "Don't scare me like that!" she mustered a smile and pushed his chest, but she could tell he wasn't buying it.

"You okay?" He stood a few feet away from her, his hands in his pockets.

"You didn't come in, so I took your stuff up to your room. Johanna picked the one with the huge window," he smiled and turned to the huge orange globe setting over houses opposite from them. It was almost completely gone. He and Katniss watched for a while before it disappeared from their view, but the sky was still streaked with colors.

"That's your favorite color, right?" Katniss spoke, finally turning back towards her friend. "I think you told me that once. You said you loved how all the oranges and pinks and purples came together when the sun set."

"Right," he laughed, his cheeks flushing. "Come inside, Katniss." He offered her his hand, and she reluctantly took it. He gave it a squeeze.

"You're going to absolutely love this place." His voice was excited as they hopped up the steps. He held the door open for her as she walked in.

Katniss was surprised when she smelled vanilla and lemon. She had expected it to be moldy and dank, what with being so close to the ocean. It was actually quite clean and refreshing.

The inside of the house was mostly white and blue with a pretty chandelier that hung over their heads. Peeta lead them to the kitchen, where Finnick and Marvel had apparently taken over his job of stocking the fridge. The stuff from their coolers was spread out over an island in the middle of the kitchen.

"What the hell did you guys even _bring?_" she asked, leaning to sift through the piles of snacks and drinks. "Beef jerky, Twizzlers, and diet coke? Is there anything that isn't junk?"

"Hey. DON'T insult the food," Finnick growled, snatching up a piece of beef jerky and ripping at it with his teeth. Peeta took a Twizzler and smacked Finnick's arm with it before taking a bite off the top.

"I brought stuff," Peeta said between bites. "Like real stuff. I'm gonna cook dinner and breakfast sometimes. When we're not in the mood for this deliciousness," he gestured toward their pile of junk food.

Katniss nodded, reaching over to grab a few M&M's from a little bowl.

"Sounds good. Tomorrow morning we should go to the grocery store to buy some ingredients. Come with me?"

Peeta nodded. "Of course." All of their friends would be still be sleeping when they would leave. She and Peeta were early risers. At school they would sometimes run together in the mornings. They didn't say much, but they enjoyed each other's company, and it wasn't uncomfortable at all. Sometimes they went to the library in the morning to study; he helped her out with biology and she helped him with his business notes.

Katniss smiled at him, and when he was least expecting it she grabbed the half-eaten Twizzler out of his hand and shoved it in her mouth.

"Show me the rest of the house, PeePee."

* * *

Katniss flopped onto the comfy double bed and moaned. "Do you think Haymitch would mind if I took this bed with me when we left?" She and Johanna had already changed their sheets. Katniss's plain navy blue comforter lay at the food at the bed, her favorite pillows already aligned at the top.

"I honestly don't think he would notice," Jo answered. She was just about finished unpacking, putting the last few things into a top drawer. Katniss had taken the bed on the left side of the room and Jo had taken the right. The room was mint-colored and was decorated with pictures of seashells. Katniss especially liked one painting of a mother holding her son's little hand as they jumped over the waves. A sliding glass door led to a second-floor balcony, only accessible from their room and the room next-door. Jo had really picked the best one. A sign above the door read "This way to the beach!" with an arrow pointing north.

"You should get changed, Kat. We all wanna go down to the beach. The boys are already trying to light a fire, I can smell it." Katniss could, too. She looked over at Johanna who was now sporting a sexy black triangle bikini. It hugged all her curves in all the right places, and Katniss was jealous of her petite and toned body.

"Ugh," she groaned. "Why are you so perfect?" She hoisted herself up off the bed and walked over to her own dresser, where she began to search for a bathing suit. "You even have abs."

After a minute she produced an olive green bandeau top with matching bottoms. She held it up for her friend to inspect. When Jo gave her the thumbs-up, she began to change.

"Katniss, anyone would be lucky to have your body. I mean the ass-to-tit ratio is pretty perfect, and you've got fucking gorgeous skin. Not to mention your hair. You could do anything with it and it would look good. I'm serious."

Katniss's eyebrows rose at her friend's crude language. "Okay, Jo."

She threw a pair of jean shorts over her bottoms and put on a light tank top. She wisped some mascara over her eyelashes and smeared on some clear lip-gloss. Johanna spritzed her with some floral-y body spray, and they looked at themselves in a floor-length mirror for a minute.

"Ready?" Johanna said.

"Let's go."

* * *

**WANTED: BETA READER! If you're a fan of THG, please message me :)**


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3! This one was fun to write. Just to make it clear: Kat and Finn are NOT dating. They're just really good friends who are very physical with each other :P Also, there's a wee bit of foreshadowing in this chapter ;) Let me know if you like it by reviewing!**

**-Mel**

* * *

The evening breeze greeted Katniss as she stepped off of the back porch and onto the sand. She sighed against it, loving the way it contrasted against the warm night air. She drew her tongue over her full lips, tasting the strawberry-flavored lip-gloss she had applied earlier. Johanna lumbered down the stairs behind her, clutching the wooden railing. She wore a pretty blue sarong that covered her waist.

"Come on. I need a beer," Johanna sniffed, motioning for Katniss to follow.

They walked down the beach a bit until they could see the gentle glow from a fire. As they walked closer, Katniss could make out individual people sitting on the beach around it sipping their drinks. What surprised her was that there was a hell of a lot more than twelve people there. It looked like a party.

"OY! Katniss!" someone called to her, and Gale trotted up to them with two beers in his hand. He pushed one into Katniss's grip and gave the other to Jo.

"Gale, who are all these people?" she whispered to him, catching the eye of a burly blonde guy sitting standing near the fire a few yards away. He smirked at her, and she tensed, uncomfortable.

Gale felt her stiffen and gripped her wrist, giving it a squeeze.

"Relax, Katniss." He breathed. "They're just some people staying in one of the houses across the way. You see that white-ish one with the stone?" He gripped her shoulder, turning her toward the park. He pointed it out to her. We lit the fire and they asked if they could join. It's just a bunch of frat guys and some sluts," he whispered jokingly, and she relaxed a bit. He knew how she was with new people.

Katniss wasn't very open to strangers at first. She didn't know how to act or what to say when she was introduced to someone. It took some time before she grew close to some of her own friends. At parties she would often stay by Gale's side, silently watching him as he conversed so easily. She was jealous of his charm. When someone tried to hit on her, most likely she'd scare him away.

They had been friends their entire lives, first next-door neighbors and then classmates. Their mothers had grown close when they were pregnant for the second time; Gale's mother with his brother Rory, and Katniss's with Prim.

But it wasn't until a few years later when their bond had been thoroughly strengthened.

Their fathers were both cops, and they had been on duty together one summer night about twelve years ago. Three men in ski masks had robbed the local convenience store, holding the employees hostage while they took the money. One of them had a semi-automatic rifle. First to arrive and unaware of how dangerous the situation was, the two men shot through the glass and stepped into the store. They were greeted with a line of bullets. Before they fell, their fathers had managed to kill one robber and critically injure another. By the time the rest of the team had arrived, Brandon Everdeen and Jack Hawthorne were as good as gone.

Katniss and Gale had gotten each other through the initial grief. Gale, merely twelve, would hold her as she cried. They spent a lot of time in the woods, building forts and telling each other stories. They wouldn't go home until after dark. The longer they could stay away from their grieving mothers, the better. As time went on, though, Gale grew back into his talkative and sociable self. She, however, had remained a bit reserved, always selective over the ones who truly mattered to her.

Katniss had always relied on Gale being somewhere nearby to catch her in case she fell.

He opened her beer and led her to the circle of people gathered around the fire. Johanna was already mingling, and Katniss saw her lower herself onto a beach blanket one of the guys had laid out.

Gale's hand rested on the small of her back as they walked up to the fire. He pulled her onto one of the wooden benches and began to point to people and name them.

"Hot blondie with the long ass legs is Glimmer, and the short angry-looking girl next to her is Clove."

Katniss watched as Glimmer so openly flirted with Finnick while her friend looked on, looking like she had sucked on a lemon.

"Brutus, Enobaria, Thom, Chaff, Beetee, and Wiress." He went down the line and named each one. Then Katniss's eyes came to rest on the huge blond guy that had checked her out before. He was talking to Delly, who looked at him as if he was a puppy.

"That's Cato," Gale grumbled. Katniss turned her head to look at her friend, raising her eyebrows.

"Why so hostile?" She questioned, swiping her hair out of her eyes.

"No…Nothing. He just seems really cocky." He lowered his eyes, but the glare on his face was still apparent.

"You're not telling me something," she pressed, taking a sip of her beer.

Gale's jaw flexed. "It's nothing, Kat, really. I can just tell he's not a nice guy." He didn't want to answer any more questions. With that, he got up from the wooden log and walked over to where Madge was talking with Annie, leaving Katniss alone. Now she was pissed. She quickly threw back her beer, knowing that a second one would make her forget all of her troubles. Her eyes locked with Cato's again, and she could only hope that he wouldn't fill Gale's spot next to her. Her worries were quickly forgotten, however, when Finnick plopped down next to her, handing her another drink.

"What's up, Finn?" she gave him an odd look. His expression was giddy as he hummed to himself.

"Life's a beach, isn't it?" he giggled, and then quickly covered his mouth. Sometimes his laughing sounded very girly. He leaned his head on her shoulder, watching the fire crackle.

"You're so pretty," he hummed, closing his eyes. He looked like a little boy as he rested against her.

"And you're so drunk," she replied, taking the beer out of his hand and setting it on the sand. His eyes opened then, his lips stretching into a smile. He leaned into her ear.

"Guess what?" he laughed.

"What?" she rolled her eyes, amused.

"I think that guy Thom has drugs." He waggled his eyebrows, and her eyes swept across the fire, looking for the guy that Gale had pointed out before. He was talking to Marvel, who was nodding his head enthusiastically.

"You think?" she asked, interested, watching their exchange. She felt Finnick nod against her shoulder. They were silent for a while as she contemplated standing up and joining Gale who was now talking animatedly with Peeta and Thresh.

"Who names their kid Glimmer?" Finnick rubbed his eyes as she finally stood up. Katniss downed the last of her drink, and as the liquid coursed through her she felt herself begin to relax. She trotted up to the guys who now had cups of something that looked like a strawberry smoothie.

"Ooh! Get me one!" She chimed, slipping in between Gale and Thresh, widening their tiny circle. The guys gave each other a look, and she frowned.

"What?" she demanded.

"It's really strong, Katniss," Peeta smiled, and Gale nodded along with him.

"I don't know if you'll like it."

She glared at them, her gaze challenging. "What the hell? You're drinking it, and you're fine!"

Gale shook his head and his mouth erupted into a goofy grin. "I'm not, actually. This shit is gonna get you wasted." He sipped at it again, and she could smell the vodka from where she stood.

"Who made it, anyways?" she asked them impatiently.

"I did," Peeta laughed. "And I shouldn't have." Even Peeta, who had to have a lot to drink before he even grew tipsy, was a bit unsteady on his feet. This just amused Katniss. Reaching across their little circle, she grabbed Peeta's wrist and his eyes widened. "Make me one. Please." The guys laughed. She had tried to sound angry, but they weren't taking her seriously.

"Here," Peeta sniffed, "have the rest of mine." He handed her the drink and they watched her as she brought it to her lips. The smell of alcohol was overwhelming. _How much did he put in?_ She took a sip.

"Whoa." She winced as it slid down her throat.

"You see?" Gale nodded. When a dark look crossed his eyes, though, Katniss lowered the cup.

"Fuck." Peeta whispered under his breath, "I forgot he was here." His eyes locked on something behind her. She followed their gaze to see that Cato was approaching, and her stomach lurched. The guys weren't pleased. There was something they knew that she didn't. Annoyed, she took another huge sip and crossed her arms.

"Cato, right?" she said sharply as the muscled man sauntered up to them. He looked surprised when she greeted him with such a sharp tone.

"Yeah, that's me," he said huskily, and very obviously checked her out for the second time that night. She'd known him for two seconds and already he seemed like a perfect douche. Gale made a sound of disapproval in the back of his throat.

"What was that?" Cato looked up at him with a cocky smirk. He brushed passed Katniss and walked up to Gale and slapped him on the shoulder.

"Good to see you, man," she heard him whisper. Peeta stared crossly at his back, tense, and Gale pursed his lips. _Do they know each other?_

"So those drinks look pretty good," he said loudly, returning to Katniss. He winked at her, and she felt uneasy.

She exhaled through her teeth. "Peeta, give him one." _And make him go away. _Peeta ran a hand through his hair and shrugged. Quickly, he poured the liquid into a cup and handed it over to Cato, who took it and chugged it in one gulp.

"Ahh," he gasped, smacking his lips together. Katniss resisted the urge to kick him in the groin.

"Strong, isn't it?" Katniss reached forward to take his cup, setting it back onto the fold-up table next to them. Cato nodded, stepping closer to her so that their feet almost touched, but she didn't back away. She saw Peeta and Gale tense behind him, ready to spring at any moment. Katniss looked up at Cato, not surprised when she met his dark, lust-filled eyes staring back down at her. What a horndog.

"Hit me up sometime, kay?" He slurred. "We're in 19. I bet I could show you a good time." He smirked at her one last time before rejoining his friends across the fire. Katniss realized she'd been holding her breath.

She looked back at Peeta, who was eyeing her with concern, and at Gale, whose gaze was still following Cato, laced with hatred. She'd hear their story another time. Right now she needed another drink.

"I feel like I need to wash my hands. I'm gonna go feel the water," she told them, setting her half-finished drink down on the table.

"I'll come with," Peeta said quickly, setting his down next to hers. She would be glad for the company.

"You guys go, I'll keep an eye on that fucker," Gale spat, and Katniss patted his arm.

"Go have fun, Gale," she breathed. "Don't worry about him."

She and Peeta silently made their way down to the water, enjoying the peace and quiet. The beach sloped a bit so that they walked downhill until it leveled out again.

"Oh!" she gasped as the water ran over her toes.

"Cold?" Peeta asked. He stood at the mark where the water had hit the sand before it receded.

"Yeah, feel!" She kicked some up at him, splattering his khaki shorts. She chewed her bottom lip and waited for his response.

"Shit!" he hissed, shifting from foot to foot. "That's freezing. And now it looks like I pissed myself. Thanks." He patted at his shorts, trying to dry out the watermark.

"You could take them off," she winked, mock-suggestively, and he laughed.

"I honestly don't think you could handle it."

"Oh?" she put her hands on her hips and narrowed her eyes. "And what's that supposed to mean?"

He ran a hand through his disheveled hair and sniffed arrogantly.

"Let's just say that _PeePee _is a pretty big guy."

She snorted at the innuendo."HA. Now you sound like Cato." He frowned.

"What?" she held her arms out as he clenched his jaw, looking at the hard sand below his feet. She'd wounded his ego.

"Come on, Peeta, you knew I was kidding!" He just shook his head.

"No, you weren't." In an instant he lurched forward, grabbing her by the waist and hoisting her up over his shoulder.

"Oh my god! Put me down!" she tried to resist him, but she was overcome with laughter and surprise. She pounded at his back as he walked further into the ocean so that it was up to his knees.

"Cut it out!" He said, holding on tightly to her legs. "In with the sharks you go!"

Katniss shrieked.

"Peeta, I swear. If you drop me-" She couldn't finish her sentence because he had lowered her even more toward the water. Her braid had come undone, wavy hair fanning out below her an inch above the water.

"PEETA MELLARK!"

He stiffened suddenly, and she tried to catch a glimpse of his face. Slowly he let her down, and she slid down his body until her feet touched the water in front of him. One hand on his shoulder, she pushed her hair out of her eyes and watched his face. He seemed to be listening for something.

Peeta reached out and grabbed her elbow.

"Hear that?" he whispered, turning her toward the noises coming from the lifeguard stand about 20 feet away from them. She held her breath and tried to listen over the crashing of the waves against the shore.

"….Oh…oh….OH yeah! That's it! Come on, that's IT!" It was a women's voice. Katniss looked at him, her eyes widened. He looked back at her silently, trying to decipher whom it was they had caught.

"Yeah? You like that, huh? You like it when I-" Katniss gasped. The voice was unmistakable. She covered her mouth with her hand looked at Peeta, whose shoulders began to shake with silent laughter. "Oh, god." Watching him, she couldn't help the laugh that escaped her lips, and the noises quieted suddenly.

"Who's there?" Finnick called over the top of the wooden structure, his eyes searching wildly in the darkness for their intruder. Suddenly Glimmer popped her head up next to his, her hair frazzled. Katniss almost snorted. Luckily it was completely dark now, and Finnick wouldn't be able to see them standing a few yards away. Plus, the sound of the ocean covered their breathing.

"We should probably go back," Peeta whispered, reaching for her hand. She took his and together they sprinted back to the fire-pit, breaking into laughter as they rejoined the party.

"It's not the first time that's happened," Peeta told her when they caught their breath. They walked over to the table to pick up their drinks. She looked at him.

"He probably brings tons of chicks back to your apartment," she guessed, leaning against the table. She watched him take a sip and nod, his blue eyes sparkling as they reflected the light from the fire.

"He does. And I usually end up making her pancakes the next morning when he's still passed out in bed. I feel bad for them, because they usually want something more. " He rubbed the back of his neck. "But I feel bad for me, too," he laughed, and lifted his cup.

"And why's that?" Katniss felt herself beginning to grow warm, probably due to the amount of alcohol she had consumed.

"Well," he flushed, as if he realized he revealed too much, "I don't…I'm not…well I don't 'sleep around' as much as he does, I guess," he raised his fingers in an air-quote.

_He's adorable when he's drunk._

"Come on, Peet," she laughed. "You definitely get laid. You're a hot guy!" Peeta grew redder.

He _was _hot. He had a muscular build, broad shoulders, and perfect messy blonde hair. Katniss was sure that he even had a full six-pack, if she could remember correctly from the last time they'd ran together when his shirt was off. Plus, his _eyes_. They pulled everything together. He was just an all-around beautiful guy.

"Nobody gets laid like Finnick gets laid," he pointed out.

"That is true." They took a few more sips in silence, and Katniss felt a little dizzy. She needed to sit down.

"What the hell did you put in this?" she raised her cup, inspecting it. "I feel like I just took 8 shots."

He frowned, drawing the back of his hand across his forehead. "Just some vodka. It wasn't _that_ much, but I feel it too."

They turned when they heard a radio crackling to life. One of the guys from Cato's group had brought one to the beach, and a song they knew all the words to filled the air. Some of the girls shrieked, pulling the guys up with them to dance. Madge had wrapped Gale's arms around her waist, and they were rocking clumsily to the beat, convulsing with laughter. Katniss watched as the rest of her friends stood up and joined them. Things were getting a little too blurry for her liking. She was just about to sit down when she saw Glimmer running up the beach in her bikini, her hair smoothed back into place. She ran nonchalantly into the circle, pulling Cato up to dance. He sighed, but stood up and grabbed her hips as if he didn't give two fucks in the world.

Katniss wasn't surprised when she and Peeta watched Finnick walk up the beach a few minutes after. He made no effort to control his I-just-had-sex hair, nor did he try to conceal the half-pitched tent in his shorts. She smiled.

"Having fun, Finn?" she teased him and he scowled. He made a 'come-here' signal with his fingers, and she unsteadily wobbled over to him.

"Had a wee bit to drink, 'ave we?" He mocked in a terrible Irish accent. She shrugged.

"We're going to dance." He didn't give her time to answer before dragging her over to the others. She glanced back at Peeta, who was staring into his drink as if it held some hidden message. Katniss felt Finn's hands find her hips and together they began to sway to the beat. She ground against him as the music blared, and closed her eyes. She and Finnick often danced at parties, so this wasn't anything new.

Her body began to relax as she forgot herself in the dancing, the music, her friends, and the beach.


	4. Chapter 4

**Wow. So...this chapter. All I can say is that this is the point where the boundaries are broken. *points to title* I really hope you enjoy, let me know what you think! Also, I am STILL looking for a beta reader! Message me if you're interested and we can work out the deets. HAVE FUN.**

**Everlong**** is by the Foo Fighters. I do not own any products mentioned.**

* * *

Katniss was dreaming.

_Her mother pulled up next to the curb in front of the biggest house Katniss had ever seen. The lawn was green and perfectly mowed in a pristine diamond pattern. A winding stone walkway led to the front door where a few people she recognized from school were being let in. She couldn't help but gape. _

_Her mother scrunched her nose disapprovingly. _

_"You sure you want to do this?"_

_No. The skimpy attire some of the girls were wearing made her feel embarrassed and underdressed. She glanced down at her denim shorts and faded black tank top with the words 'Foo Fighters' printed in white. Her converse sneakers were scuffed and the laces were smudged with dirt._

_"I'm sure, mom. It'll be fun." Her voice was impassive, and she knew her mother wasn't convinced. Katniss got out of the car and shut the door before she made her mother drive her home._

_"I'll pick you up at 10:30, okay?" her mother asked as she rolled the window down._

_"Eleven," Katniss bit her lip. She didn't want to seem lame by leaving early, although she wasn't exactly sure why she was challenging her mother. She really didn't want to be here. _

_"Fine. Eleven. Have fun, okay?" Katniss nodded, smoothing out the top of her hair. "And…be careful." She rolled her eyes._

_"Bye, mom." _

_"Bye, honey." _

_Her mom pulled away, leaving Katniss at the curb. Tears sprung to her eyes. She didn't want to do this. She wished Gale were here. Maybe then she could actually enjoy tonight. Hopefully she knew someone. Drawing in a deep breath, she turned to face the house and began to ascend the walkway._

_Katniss wasn't doing this for her. She was doing it for her mom. And the guidance counselor, really. Over the course of her eighth grade year she'd established quite the relationship with Mrs. Paylor over lunch almost every day in her office. It was her last year of middle school and probably the worst year she'd ever had to endure. Katniss had absolutely no classes with Gale, and the few friends she had had been assigned to separate lunches. She admitted that Mrs. Paylor probably made better company than the bathroom stall when the guidance counselor first invited her to lunch._

_They argued and bickered often, always fighting for the last word and insisting that they were right. It was entertaining, to say the least. Sometimes even fun. When the last week of school had rolled around, Katniss was dreading their departure._

_"Paylor, I'm screwed." She whined, popping a french fry into her mouth. "Gale's going to be in Arizona with his grandparents for the entire summer. I don't know what I'm going to do with myself." _

_"I don't like your language," the woman countered, reaching over to grab a fry from Katniss's tray. "But you're not. You have to promise me something, kay?" She chewed the fry met Katniss's eyes over the top of her wide-rimmed glasses. _

_Katniss swallowed. "Well that depends on what it is." She picked up another fry and swirled it in her ketchup._

_Paylor clicked her tongue, contemplating. "Go to Cashmere's party this Friday, okay? You need to socialize. It'll be the last day of school. Then you won't have to see these people at all until you begin high school in September."_

_Katniss had expressed her worries about the party to Paylor a few days before, showing her the invitation she'd received in the mail. Cashmere was undoubtedly the most popular girl in her grade. Super rich, too. It was intimidating to say the least. She'd made up her mind the minute found it in her mailbox, all rhinestoned and glittered and sprayed with some floral-y scent. There was no way in hell that she'd be attending._

_"I'll think about it." _

_"No, you're going."_

_"Fine." She hadn't expected herself to give up that easily. Even Paylor raised her eyebrows in surprise. But Katniss felt as if she owed her for the entire year they'd spent together at lunch. She guessed it was the least she could do._

Somewhere in her subconscious, Katniss could register that this was a memory.

_She could feel her heart beating rapidly as she approached the door, nearly winded from the long walk up the pathway. Before she could even ring the doorbell the door was whisked open and a long-legged curly blonde-haired teenager with perfect sculpted eyebrows and glossed lips greeted her at the entrance._

_"Hey, Katniss!" she chirped enthusiastically._

_Katniss waved sheepishly, mustering up cheerful grin from deep within._

_"Hey, Cass."_

"Come on in! Everyone's in the living room."

_She let out a breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding. Okay, this was going all right so far. She followed her classmate through decorated hallways and Katniss had already counted at least seven doors. She could hear music blasting on the other side of the door Cashmere had paused by. Katniss gulped as she turned the knob, and in an instant she had disappeared inside the room to find her friends._

_Katniss looked around, overwhelmed. There were at least 30 people gathered in the huge 2-story room, most of them clustered in tiny circles, some tapping their feet and swaying to the music, some making out against the wall. Most of them held a beer in their hands. _

_"Guys!" She heard Cashmere shout and the music was lowered._

_"We're going to play a game." Katniss felt her stomach drop._

_"Seven minutes in heaven," Cass continued, narrowing her eyes as she scoured the room for her first victim._

_"Peeta Mellark," she pointed to the blonde guy who had stopped his conversation with one of his friends when he heard his name being called._

_"And…Katniss Everdeen." Katniss turned sharply to Cashmere, swiftly shaking her head in protest. _

_"Too late," she giggled, grasping her by the elbow and leading her forcefully into the kitchen. A few of Cass's friends had followed her, leading Peeta who was laughing uncertainly. "Chill out, guys," he shook his head as they practically pushed them into the pantry, their giggles not subsiding even after they'd shut the door. "Seven minutes!" She heard one of them shout._

_Katniss looked anywhere but at him; the pantry was absolutely humongous. Shelves upon shelves piled high with all kinds of snacks and treats. _

_"Lollipop?" Peeta stood with his arm extended, offering her a pink Blow-pop. She took it and unwrapped it. He must have grabbed it when she was looking around. Katniss brought it to her mouth and sucked, suddenly glad that her lips were otherwise occupied._

_"Thanks," she said shyly. Peeta Mellark had been new to Hob Middle School this past year. However, he'd had no trouble making friends, instantly fitting in with the crowd. He seemed like a people-pleaser, for sure. She didn't think she had ever said one word to him before tonight. Katniss glanced at him. A few strands of blond hair fell in front of his strikingly blue eyes and he pushed them away with the back of his hand. Some freckles dotted his nose. Under the sharp light of the pantry, she noticed his extremely long eyelashes._

_He must have caught her staring._

_"Katniss, right?" He extended his arm, breaking their silence. She nodded and did the same. His warm hand closed around hers, and he gave it a quick squeeze. When he let go her arm flopped back to her side. "I'm Peeta."_

_"I know." _

_ They were silent again as they ate their lollipops, the only sound coming from their lips as they sucked on the sweet candy. She heard a few giggles outside the door, and she blushed when she realized that their slurping sounded a lot like kissing. She bit her lip and met his eyes. He smiled back at her smugly. 'Good idea?' he mouthed. She nodded._

_ Clever. Very clever._

_ After a minute or two he spoke again, catching her off guard._

_ "So the Foos, huh?" She looked up, confused. He was staring at her shirt._

_ "Oh." She twisted her braid with the end of her fingers. "Yeah. They're like, my favorite band." It probably wasn't what he expected to hear from a 15-year-old girl. Most girls her age listened to Britney or Beyoncé or fangirled over some boy band._

_ Peeta slid down to the floor, leaning back against a shelf. His legs stuck out in front of him, and he suggested she do the same. She took his cue and sat crisscrossed facing him._

_ "What's your favorite song from them?" he questioned._

_ It didn't take her long to answer._

_ "Everlong." Very predictable. It was easily the most popular Foo Fighters song. She should have picked something different. "Do you like them?"_

_ "Yeah, I do," he nodded." My favorite song is Best of You." Hmm. Unpredictable. She liked that one._

_ "Have you ever seen them in concert?" He asked her._

_ "Nah. I'd love to, though. I've actually never been to a concert," she revealed, relaxing a bit. She was glad they'd found something they had in common. He was surprisingly easy to converse with._

_ "That doesn't sound like hooking up!" Came a voice from the other side of the door. Peeta glared at it, reaching around his back and pulling something out of his jean pocket. He revealed a shiny black iPod. _

_ He plugged in a set of headphones and scrolled up and down his playlist and smiled when he found what he was looking for._

_ "Here," he leaned forward, pressing the ear bud softly into her ear. He moved a loose piece of hair, tucking it behind her ear. She lifted her hand to it, making sure it didn't fall out. She shivered when her fingertips grazed his knuckles. The music hit her ears like a breath of fresh air, warm and familiar. She closed her eyes._

**Hello, I've waited here for you…. Everlong.**

**Tonight, I throw myself into,**

** And out of the red, out of her head she sang.**

**Come down and waste away with me, down with me…**

**Slow how, you wanted it to be,**

**I'm over my head, out of her head she sang.**

**And I wonder when I sing along with you,**

**If everything could ever feel this real forever.**

**If anything could ever be this good again,**

**The only thing I'll ever ask of you.**

**You gotta promise not to stop when I say when.**

_"She sang." Katniss realized she'd been softly singing along. She couldn't help it; every time she listened to the song her mood lifted and she forgot everything around her. She stopped abruptly, catching herself, and looked down at her knees. Peeta had been drumming his fingers on his kneecap. _

_ "You have a pretty voice," he told her, her cheeks glowing. "I should have brought my guitar," he mumbled._

_"You play?" she blinked, interested. She handed the earplugs back to him._

_ "Since I was six. I'm not that good," She somehow doubted that, "but I like it a lot." _

_They talked like this for the rest of the night, sitting on the floor of the pantry, getting to know each other. Cashmere and her friends had found something more interesting to do, and Katniss was glad that they were out of earshot._

_It turned out that Gale had befriended Peeta early on in the year when they were assigned to be lab partners. Katniss had been a little miffed, Gale never mentioned his friend to her. _

_They finished their lollipops and Peeta looked around until he discovered a pack of Twizzlers at the back of the shelf behind him. He offered her some, and she pulled one out of the bag._

_"These are my favorite," he'd said._

_They talked some more, shifting positions in the pantry when it felt a little cramped. Munching on Twizzlers and listening to her favorite band with someone other than herself, she realized this was the best she'd felt in a while. And Gale wasn't even there with her. This was definitely progress._

_Katniss was disappointed when her cell phone began to ring. She fumbled with it as she pulled it out of her pocket, flipping it open and bringing it to her ear. _

_"Hello?"_

_"Katniss. I've been waiting outside for fifteen minutes. It's 11:30." Her mother sounded agitated._

_"Oh my god. I'm so sorry mom! I'll be right out." She flipped it closed and hopped to her feet, frowning._

_"I gotta go," she sighed._

_He followed her to the front door, his hands in his pockets. It was eerily silent; the rest of the party had moved out onto the back patio. She placed her hand on the handle, turning to face him. He was much closer than she expected, staring at his sneakers._

_"Thanks for not hooking up with me earlier," he chuckled. It was an odd thing for a guy to say. "I don't think it would be easy being friends with you if we did that."_

So they were friends.

_ "N-no problem," she smiled back at him, pushing some hair behind her ears._

_ In one spontaneous movement, he leaned forward and pecked his lips softly to hers before brushing her arm and retreating slowly to the patio. She had closed her eyes in the heat of the moment. He tasted like green apple and cinnamon. And cherry Twizzler._

_ When she got in the car her cheeks were still flushed, but thankfully her mother didn't ask her anything too specific._

_ "It was fun," Katniss shrugged._

_She almost jumped when he knocked on the door the next afternoon, sporting a pair of sunglasses and Adidas slides. Her mother was out at the market with Prim._

_ "Get your bike. I gotta take you somewhere," he told her. She eyed him warily. "Don't worry, I haven't been stalking you. Okay, maybe a little. I found your address in the directory."_

_ Despite the initial awkwardness, Katniss had warmed up to him rather easily for the second time in 48 hours. He was sharp and quick-witted, and he never failed to make her laugh. He was a very unpredictable guy. Peeta took her to a meadow over-looking a river that separated their neighborhoods. He pointed to his house, and he helped her find hers. _

_ That summer had been one of Katniss's best. When school started that September, she was overjoyed to learn that she shared a few academic classes with him and Gale, who had returned from Arizona and was pleased to know that Katniss had made Peeta her friend._

_ They'd become a formidable trio that soon expanded into a quadruplet when Gale brought the shy and quiet Madge into the picture. Katniss was glad for a female friend; sometimes the boys were a little much for her. Gale and Madge had dated on and off throughout high school, but they all got along and hung out whenever they could._

_ To Katniss, Peeta was just a happy person. He was different than Gale, who could have been her twin but in male form. Despite their connection over music, Peeta had different interests than Katniss, and she grew to appreciate his talent for painting, baking, and playing the guitar._

_ His sanguine disposition made him so much fun to be around. After that first night in the pantry, even though they had kissed (and even though that hadn't been their last kiss), Katniss and Peeta remained nothing more than best friends. Although they weren't on the same emotional level and shared as much history as she and Gale had, their closeness gave Katniss a sense of hope. When they were together, she was carefree._

* * *

Katniss could feel herself stirring as the dream ended, but she wasn't ready to open her eyes. As she came to, she felt something hard pressing against her thigh, but she ignored it, trying to figure out where she was. Usually Katniss woke up alert and ready each morning; it was like she had an internal alarm clock implanted inside of her. Now she felt completely disoriented and out of place.

A breeze blew some of her hair into her face.

_Am I outside? _

She could hear waves crashing nearby, and she remembered that she was at the beach. Maybe Johanna had left the window open the night before.

However, she couldn't ignore the fact that the waves sounded really close by. Like, a few feet away. Had she fallen asleep on the beach? That was definitely something she wouldn't do, even after a party.

_OH. The party._

She _had _had a lot to drink the night before, she remembered, replaying the night in her mind.

_Getting ready with Jo…._

_Sitting around the fire…._

_Having that loaded smoothie…._

_The encounter with Cato…._

_Playing with Peeta in the ocean…._

_Catching Finnick and Glimmer getting it on…_

_Dancing with Finnick…._

Dancing with Finnick. That was the last thing she remembered. What happened after that?

The water was silent for a moment as she tried to search her mind. Suddenly, she heard a breath next to her, and something heavy and furry landed on her chest.

Her _bare_ chest.

Katniss stopped breathing. Her heart began to race, and the thing on her chest must have felt it, because she heard a sharp intake of breath that wasn't her own. Did she dare to open her eyes?

The brightness blinded her for a good few seconds, and an aching throbbing behind her eye sockets made her want to go back to sleep. When her eyes focused, she was staring up at the bright blue sky. Not even a cloud was in sight. It must have been mid-morning, she realized. Katniss was aware of the hard floor she was laying on and even more aware of what was pressing against her.

Three white walls surrounded her, and she could barely make out

'Property of Capitol Beach' written in red letters…

She was in the lifeguard stand. Wrapped in a tarp from the waist down.

She lowered her eyes inch by inch, and her vision was suddenly filled with _blonde._

Disheveled blonde hair.

It was unmistakable.

What. The. Fuck.

"Katniss," he murmured, and she nearly jumped sky high. How long had he been lying there, awake? She could feel his breath over her nipples, which were already hardened, probably due to the morning breeze. She squeezed her eyes shut. _Is this really happening?_

"Katniss," he said again, his voice hoarse. _Yes, it is._

_ "_My eyes are closed, I promise. I'm going to get up now…you can pull the blanket up." His voice was strained. The weight on her side her chest suddenly disappeared. She _really _didn't want to know what the hard thing pressing into her thigh was, but she had her suspicions. It was morning, after all.

Katniss pulled the blanket up, holding it in place under her arms, and she lifted herself into a sitting position with her eyes still clamped shut. She could hear him shifting around, covering himself with the other end of the beach tarp.

"You can open your eyes now," he mumbled with shame.

"I don't want to."

But she also knew she couldn't stay in this position forever. She opened one eye at a time and was met with a brilliant blue that, to her dismay, was not the ocean. The glossy orbs were laced with guilt.

Things had never been taken this far.

They stared at each other in silence for what felt like an hour, before he finally summed up enough courage to address their current situation.

"I don't know what happened. I can't remember anything."

She swallowed. "Neither can I."

Katniss watched his Adam's apple bob in his throat. He reached up to scratch at his stubbly chin, and she realized she'd never seen him when he wasn't clean-shaven. By this point in the morning, he usually had that taken care of.

"I hate to say it, but someone probably put drugs-"

"It's probably what happened." Katniss cut him off with a curt nod. She wasn't in the mood for discussing the details.

"We left our drinks when we went down to the water," she added quickly. "Anyone could have done it."

He nodded slowly, still unsure, and bit his bottom lip. She noticed that they were red and chapped, and her stomach lurched.

"Look, Katniss…" He drew in a breath, securing the scrap of blanket he had around his waist. "I don't know if we…but if we did, I…I wasn't in the right state of mind last night, I wasn't trying to…to do anything, I swear, I-"

"I'm not mad, okay?" Katniss assured him. Actually, she wasn't sure what she felt. There was an uncomfortable numbness rooted at the pit of her stomach. He looked at her in disbelief.

To make him feel better, she shakily reached over and grabbed his hand, giving it a squeeze.

"It happened to you, too," she reminded him. "We didn't know what we were doing. It might not have even happened." They both knew, however, that most likely it did. Why else would they be naked under a blanket in a secluded area? She blinked and he let out a breath, as if he forgot that he, too, had been drugged the night before. He still bore a guilty expression, and Katniss felt the urge to hold him, but she was having a hard time meeting his eyes.

Instead, she looked around the lifeguard stand, searching for their clothes. There were none.

"Shit." They were stuck, with nothing to cover them but the beach tarp. It would certainly look suspicious if they walked back up to the house together draped in it.

He caught on, shaking his head.

"I guess it can't really get worse than this." Their feet touched for a second under the blanket and they both pulled away sharply.

"Sorry!" he yelped.

"No, I'm sorry."

She let out a strangled laugh, and suddenly she found that she couldn't look at him without flushing a brilliant shade of maroon. This was so different and strange. She _knew _Peeta. In this moment it felt as if they had only just met.

Her eyes fluttered as she tried to smooth down her tangled, frizzy hair, clutching the tarp between her armpits and her knees. Hyper-aware of her nudeness she tried pulling it further up, only to gasp when she remembered that he was trying to conceal himself too with the other end. He scrambled forward to clutch the blanket before she could see more than she wanted to.

And she definitely didn't want to….

Katniss covered her face with her hands and groaned. Her headache was getting worse, and she still had absolutely no idea what had happened the previous night after precisely 12:30 am. "I don't know what to do," she finally mumbled into her hands.

"Hey," he reached over and rubbed her elbow with his thumb. She shivered at the touch. "This doesn't change anything, okay?" She peeked at him through a crack in her fingers, and even he looked unsure. How could it ever be the same? Sure, they'd kissed before. He'd even felt her up once when they were drunk at a party. She'd seen his boner. Katniss had gotten over that within a week. Never, however, had they gone this far. This was crossing the line. She didn't know if they could ever go back, and that thought made her squirm with unease.

Suddenly a thought occurred to Katniss, and she became oddly curious. If they _had _had sex… had it been any good? She thought herself ridiculous for asking herself this question. It was just the way she was…Katniss didn't like to disappoint.

Every once and a while she'd overhear a girl in one of her classes or in the library talking about Peeta.

_ "The best!? Are you serious?"_ One girl whispered loudly, and the librarian shot her a stern look.

_"Oh my god, you're being serious. Peeta Mellark: The best sex you've ever had. I can't even begin to…"_

_"SHH!"_

Another time she was in the middle of dissecting a cat when two partners across the lab table started up a conversation.

_"You know Peeta Mellark? The blond? Yeah, we hooked up last night,"_ she whispered to her friend. _"He was so sweet and gentle…but he was hu-"_ Katniss had chosen that moment to tune out.

"What are you thinking?" He brought her back into reality.

"I'm thinking of an escape route," she gritted through her teeth.

"I bet I can help with that," a voice said from above.

"Gah! Finnick!" They jumped in unison, wrapping the tarp tighter around their bodies.

"Had a fun night?" he raised an eyebrow. He had hoisted himself up to stand on the outside of the wooden structure, his elbows leaning over into the pit.

Katniss felt nauseous. "Finnick," she started, her voice taking on a desperate tone, "do not tell ANYONE about this, okay?" She looked up at him with pleading eyes.

"Yeesh, is that really who you think I am?" he brushed a hand through his hair. "Don't answer that. Anyways, I won't tell anyone…yet." They glared at him as he smirked.

"You both have a lot of explaining to do. I just came out here to tell you two lovebirds that this little penetrating party is going to have to be put on hold for a while." Katniss winced at his language. "We're all coming down to the beach soon, 'get a few hours in before all the people come for the weekend. People think you guys crashed in Peeta's room after the party. What the hell happened, anyways?"

"We're still trying to figure that out," Peeta sighed. "Finn, we have no clothes. What if someone sees us?" Katniss's thoughts mirrored his.

"I've got you covered," he responded. He disappeared below the walls of the lifeguard stand, and they heard his feet hit the sand. He walked around to the opening, holding out a pair of shorts. Finnick stood in nothing but some boxer briefs.

"Briefs, Finn? Really?" Katniss groaned, averting her eyes.

"Hey hey," he made a face, "If you want to see more, I'm totally up for it. But I think you're probably still a little winded from your midnight romp with Blondie over here."

She bit her cheek and tried to ignore the heat spreading across her face. "Do you have clothes for me?" she asked impatiently.

"Do you want them?"

"Finnick," she warned.

"Fine. I snagged these from the porch railing. They were just draped over," he told her with a shrug.

He held out a bikini top.

"Where's the bottoms?" she questioned, looking around him.

"There were none." His cheeky smile made her want to wring his neck. "Just use the tarp, okay? I'll create a distraction! It'll be fun." He clapped his hands together excitedly before sprinting back to the house. They listened to his heavy footsteps climbing the stares, humming the _Mission: Impossible_ theme until he disappeared into the kitchen.

"He's a dork," Peeta laughed nervously.

"So are you," she shrugged, turning to face him. "So you promise not to tell anyone about this?" she gazed as him pleadingly. "We can just try to pretend it never happened."

"Yeah. Never happened. I promise," he assured her, and she knew she could trust him. She always had.

"Alright," she breathed. Katniss made Peeta turn around as she slipped the bikini top over her head, and he put on Finnick's trunks. "I'll go first. You follow in a couple of minutes."

"Got it," he nodded, and his eyes twinkled. Before hopping down from the stand, Katniss reached up to cup Peeta's cheek. Her hand was cool, and he leaned into it. "Hey, thanks for being so cool about this. It was just… a wild night. It won't happen again, okay?"

He laughed softly and kissed her palm. "Alright. Go inside, Katniss. I'll meet you there." She smiled at him. He seemed so calm while she was burning up inside. She wanted to know what was going through his mind, because she couldn't sort her own thoughts. The hangover didn't help, either. She just needed to get as far away from him as possible.

"Okay, Peeta," she sighed, stepping down onto the sand, the blanket wrapped around her waist. Hurriedly making her way up to the back patio, she could feel his gaze on her back. She hoped that Peeta would keep his promise as she intended to.

Katniss would put all her effort into making it seem like last night had never happened, but all she could think about was how peaceful her sleep had been with him by her side.

* * *

**How are you guys liking the 3rd person perspective?**


	5. Chapter 5

**Hey everyone! So here's Chapter 5, sorry for the delay! A HUGE thank you to katnissinme and Catching-fire21 for helping me out with this chapter. I can't wait to write more, things are really starting to heat up! Let me know what you think.**

Enjoy!

_(THG and its characters belong to Suzanne Collins)_

* * *

Katniss was able to avoid any confrontations with her friends as she made her way up the stairs, clutching the tarp around her waist as if it were the only thing keeping her from falling apart. Finnick had created a successful distraction, herding all of their friends to the driveway and telling them he could have _sworn_ he saw Haymitch run by naked in a drunken stupor.

"And why the hell would we want to see that?" Katniss could hear Annie's disgusted remark as she turned down the hallway toward their room. Nevertheless, Annie had followed them, effectively evacuating the living room and leaving the coast clear.

Katniss ducked into the room she shared with Jo, promptly shutting the door and locking it, and at the same time dropping the tarp so that it lay crumpled around her feet. Her chest heaved as she leaned her forehead against the wood, overcome with lightheadedness. The throbbing pulsed louder and louder behind her eyes, and she had to inhale and exhale deeply before she was confident she could move without falling over.

Katniss wasn't quite sure why she was acting this way- frantically trying to avoid anyone who would question her about last night. These were her _friends_ after all, and they pretty much knew everything there was to know about her. So why was she trying to hide? She could imagine Gale's face contorted with laughter after telling him what had happened. She could hear Johanna's sneering words; _"You did WHAT in the lifeguard stand?"_

Katniss could already feel herself reddening when another thought settled unhappily in the pit of her stomach. _What if they already know?_

She began to generate a list of excuses while she hastily gathered the beach tarp and stuffed it into a nearby closet. It wasn't like their friends hadn't hooked up before. Peeta had had a thing with Delly a while back, and Katniss had made out with Finnick a few times sophomore year, much to her astonishment. But sex was never involved. Sex was a different story. And sex with _Peeta _was entirely different from that. She groaned loudly, twisting herself so that she faced the window.

Peeta's blond head disappeared into the house, and she could hear his footsteps ascending the stairs. When she was certain they were both safe in the confines of their own rooms, she walked into the bathroom and started the shower.

It was silly, she knew, because she would be going back to the beach anyway. In her mind she had convinced herself that she was washing away any evidence of her and Peeta's sexual encounter the night before. Not that there was any – Katniss hadn't found any traces of her "arousal" or his "fluid" anywhere – she just felt the need to cleanse herself of the experience completely.

As the water ran over her face, trickling into her mouth and dispersing over her skin in tiny droplets, Katniss could feel herself beginning to calm to the point where she could collect her thoughts.

_I don't want to go down there,_ her insides screamed. _I don't want to see his face. How will I ever be able to talk to him without remembering the feeling of his hard-on pressing into my thigh? _

"I won't," she said aloud, the certainty of her voice making her prickle with unease. She let her hands wander through her hair, pulling at the knots gathered at the base of her neck. Out of the corner of her eye, Katniss spotted something red just above her left breast. She pressed at the skin around it, avoiding touching it directly. Peeta had given her a hickey, and by the location, he had been under her shirt. She forced herself to look away, lathering the rest of her body with soap.

_I have to find out what happened last night. Who would put drugs in our drinks? Was it some kind of sick joke? It couldn't have been any of our friends…none of us even have those kinds of drugs. Finnick thought some guy from Cato's group had something?_

_I have to ask him. Or Jo. Or Gale._

In the back of her mind, Katniss wondered if Peeta was thinking the same thing.

She was momentarily distracted by the sound of a three-toned beeping from her cell phone, which was on the counter across the room. She shut off the water and twisted her hair, wringing it out over the drain. Grabbing a towel from the rack, she pulled it tightly around her, securing it under her arms and covering the hickey. She stepped over the discarded bikini top and walked across the cold tile floor to pick up her cell phone. Pressing the center button, she was greeted with a text and a calendar event. First, she read the text from Johanna.

**_Morning sleeping beauty. Since when do you sleep til ten? You must have had a lot to drink ;) We r going to the beach, meet us there when u r ready._**

****Next, she opened the calendar app.

**_PERIOD. _**She read under today's date. Had it been a month already? Then suddenly Katniss blanched, fear seeping in through her pores and freezing her body. Her grip around the phone loosened and it clattered to the floor.

_Fuck!_

How she hadn't thought of this before, she had no idea. The question formed painfully in her mind as her hand crept down to her abdomen. _Did we use protection? _ Her heart was pounding so hard she thought it might explode through her chest.

She shakily pushed the wet hair out of her face, bending over to retrieve her phone, which thankfully wasn't cracked.

Closing her eyes, she tried desperately to remember if she'd taken her pill that morning, but it was no use. Yesterday morning seemed like forever ago, and her head hurt when she tried to think.

_Peeta wouldn't do that. Even if we were…drugged…how could we be so stupid? But unless Peeta brought a condom to the party last night, I could be…_

Katniss was frustrated beyond belief. It was like trying to run while someone held her back. A part of her mind was inaccessible, and she couldn't do anything about it.

Straightening up, she took a deep breath and proceeded to tie her hair in a braid, attempting to push away her thoughts. However, his guilt-laced cerulean eyes kept popping into her mind, and Katniss couldn't ignore the fact that this might be happening to _him,_ too. She realized she'd have to confront him eventually.

_I could be carrying his child, for God's sake._

Keeping this entire thing to herself was working her up, making her fidgety and anxious. She desperately felt the need to vent, to let someone else listen to her fears.

_I wouldn't even know where to start,_ she mused. _But if I don't get my period by tonight, I'll tell Jo what happened._

Hopefully it would come as expected.

Dropping the towel, she walked back over to her dresser to find another bathing suit, this time a standard black bikini. _So nobody will get any ideas._

She pulled on a long T-shirt over it, acting as a cover up, and grabbed her sunglasses off of her nightstand. She pulled them on and the house became two shades darker. This way they wouldn't be able to see the worry that clouded her features.

Pausing at her door, she listened for any movement from Peeta's room across the hall. The shower was running, so she took the opportunity to delicately tiptoe to the staircase and make her way down, beach towel slung over her shoulder. The house was reasonably quiet, and she could make out her friends' voices the closer she got to the back porch.

"Well, it took you long enough," Jo scoffed, arms crossed, as Katniss pulled the sliding-glass door shut behind her. She was leaning against the side of the house.

"What do you mean?" She furrowed her eyebrows, trying her best to look inconspicuous.

Johanna shook her head. "It only took you lazy asses two freaking hours to wake up and get ready. I'm genuinely surprised, you're usually the first ones up."

Katniss blinked and shrugged. "I had a lot to drink last night. Killer hangover's all." It was mostly the truth.

"Yeah, it looked like you guys were having fun," Jo smirked.

Katniss' cheeks flamed. _Did Johanna know what happened last night? _She nervously tucked some hair behind her ears.

"We all had a good time," she stammered, looking out toward the ocean. She wanted this conversation to be over before she began to beg her friend to fill in the pieces, if she even knew anything at all. But there would be time for that later, when they were alone.

"Mmhhmm," Jo just sighed, sweeping her arm toward the beach ahead of them. "Ladies first."

An hour and a half later she, Jo, Annie, and Madge had settled on a (different) beach tarp a few yards away from the water. Katniss was positioned on her elbows, her fists propping up her head as she struggled to read her book.

"Guys," she whined, "I can't concentrate. I want to do something fun." She looked over to her right where Madge and Annie were on their backs, soaking the sunlight into their skin. Already Katniss could see a tan forming on her two friends, and she frowned when she looked down at her own pale skin.

"So go in the water. Dig a hole. Bury yourself," Johanna mumbled tiredly from her other side.

"What are the guys doing?" Madge asked, unmoving. She was always interested in what the guys were up to.

Katniss glanced over warily to where the guys had started a football game behind the boardwalk, her eyes searching out a certain blonde-haired body.

"Guy stuff. Football." She frowned. The heat was making her cranky, and the Tylenol Annie had given her for her hangover was already starting to wear off. She spotted Delly and Rue sitting on a towel a few feet away from the game, avidly chattering about something.

"Wanna go over?" Annie asked her, sitting up and pulling her sunglasses down over her eyes. Katniss nodded, and together they made their way over.

Her eyes had reflexively sought out Peeta once again, whose muscled arms flexed as he reached up and over his head to catch the ball. He weaved in and out of the opposing team, flat-out sprinting toward their makeshift end zone. Katniss almost didn't see Thresh lunge toward him until he was practically on top of Peeta, their legs tangling together, throwing him off balance. Peeta twisted in the air, landing with a loud "thump" on the sand, while Thresh had saved himself from the fall. A few of the guys clapped with amusement, but it quickly faded when they realized that Peeta wasn't getting up.

"Shit," she heard Finnick and Gale mutter simultaneously before they began to make their way over. Katniss froze in her tracks. Her eyes were locked on Peeta's chest, watching for movement. There was none.

Suddenly a head of furiously bouncing blonde curls blocked her vision of him. Delly leaned over his head, her hands reaching out to cradle his head. Katniss frowned, and subconsciously wished that Delly hadn't been the first to reach him. "Peeta?" she called, and when he didn't respond her face fell.

It wasn't until Delly's gaze found her own that Katniss was able to move again.

"Do you know CPR?" she breathed.

Katniss blinked and nodded. Finnick had reached Peeta, and was hurriedly checking for a pulse. Thresh was standing nearby, his hand on his forehead.

Katniss pushed through the circle of guys that had gathered around Peeta.  
"He needs some space," she snapped, sinking to her knees beside his head and resting her palm gently on his toned chest.

He looked almost peaceful, one arm reaching up to rest above his head, his right leg resting crookedly next to his left. She lowered her head so that her ear rested above his slightly parted mouth, but she couldn't hear any breathing, and an icy fear crept into her lungs.

Finnick clasped Peeta's shoulders and Gale had his hands pressed just above his sternum, ready to administer compressions.

She shakily lifted her hand to pinch his nose, tilting his chin back gently with the other. She leaned closer to his face, parting her mouth slightly. Katniss was about to lock her lips around his when she caught his eyelashes fluttering out of the corner of her eye. She retreated a couple of centimeters so she could see his expression. It looked the same as before, with the exception of the corner of his mouth pulled up into an almost unnoticeable grin.

"Peeta," she growled quietly, anger flaring in her stomach. She lifted her eyes to find Gale and Finnick holding back a smile as well.

"Come on, that's not funny!" Annoyance surged through her and she quickly rose to her feet, searching for the football.

She hurled it as his chest as he sat up, almost knocking him back down to the sand. Her cheeks flushed with humiliation. What a jerk.

He raised his hands above his ears in an apology, but he was still shaking with laughter. She wouldn't have any of it.

"Come here, you piece of shi-" she made to rush at him but was held back by Finnick's crushing hold around her waist. "Whoaaaaa, Kitty," he was laughing, too, and that only pissed her off even more.

"Finnick, you're just as bad as him. You can't joke about that stuff!" she yelled to whomever would listen, trying frantically to wriggle free from his grasp, but he held her tightly against his body.

Finnick only loosened his grip around her waist when he was sure that she wouldn't go after Peeta, who was now being hoisted back up into a standing position by Thresh. He bent to brush the sand off the back of his legs and she glared at him. All of her hesitation about talking to him was easily thrust aside; she scowled at him menacingly.

"Do not _ever_ do that to me again, or I will fucking come into your bed one night…"

"Ooh, I want in," Finnick whispered saucily in her ear, but she ignored him.

"And suffocate you with a plastic bag before you can even call for help."

His eyes widened with amusement, but then visibly softened when her expression turned melancholy.

"You really scared me, Peeta," she barely whispered.

He swallowed and made a move to pull her into a tight embrace, but she quickly pulled away and sauntered off to rejoin Madge and Johanna, who were standing after hearing the commotion. When they asked her what had happened she just waved them off, settling back onto the blanket, placing the book over her face. She fought the hot tears of humiliation that sprung to her eyes, willing herself to cool down. Katniss had had enough of Peeta's antics for one day.

When the evening rolled around, Katniss was less than pleased to learn that she and Peeta had been nominated for dinner duty.

"Are you kidding me?" she told Jo, who only shrugged. Katniss didn't want to be anywhere near him. She was overwhelmed with stress, anger, and uncertainty, and it was turning her mood sour. Her headache hadn't fully gone away, and she still hadn't gotten her period yet. Plus, she was still pissed about Peeta's ruse. And pretty much everyone else who had laughed at her today. Katniss wasn't one for taking things lightly.

While she chopped the few vegetables they'd brought at one end of the counter, he was all the way at the other end stirring pasta in a huge pot over the stove. His lips were pursed slightly as he lazily pushed the plastic spoon around in the water.

She could feel the tension between them. It was sticky and uncomfortable, and the longer they stayed in silence the harder she took out her irritation on the vegetables. She was practically strangling the bell pepper when she felt a hand slither around her wrist, a finger press into her palm, causing her to let go of the knife.

"You're going to hurt yourself," he murmured, closing his fist around hers. She just pushed him off.

"Fuck off, Peeta," she spat, picking up the knife and starting in on the pepper again. It was hurting her to be so cold to him, but she was appalled that he was evidently unaffected by what had happened between them last night. He was her best friend. Ever since they had woken up that morning, however, she felt increasingly distant from him, and it was very unsettling. It bothered her how calm and normal he was being about it.

He shrugged, trying to conceal his hurt feelings, and made his way back over to the pot that had begun to boil.

Katniss was the only one who stayed relatively silent during the meal, only smiling when someone told her they liked her salad. The twelve of them were seated around the long dining table, she and Peeta strategically sitting at very opposite ends.

She had to hold in her groan of pleasure when she first tasted his spaghetti. It was such a simple meal, but Peeta made it extraordinarily delicious. To top it off, Madge had opened a bottle of wine which perfectly complemented the dinner.

"You two should do it more often," Gale innocently commented about their cooking, and Katniss almost choked around a mouthful of pasta.

Apparently Peeta heard the same thing she did – she saw his cheeks flush before he stared at his food as if it were the most interesting thing in the world.

Finnick chuckled, but quickly covered it by faking a yawn.

"Lifeguard training starts tomorrow!" he reminded them, leaning back into his chair and resting his hands on his full stomach.

Katniss nodded, turning to look at him. He almost slipped up, but nobody seemed to notice.

She actually couldn't wait for tomorrow; they'd be able to take out the boat, and they were allowed to use the jet skis at the local dock for about an hour each day. Plus, she loved to swim. Sometimes just doing laps helped to calm her mind. Once she got into a rhythm it was hard to stop.

"Do you know who'll be training us?" Peeta inquired, his question directed at Gale. Gale was the one who had talked to the head of the town's beach patrol organization. He had brought them home the applications.

"It's this guy called Cinna. He sounded really cool on the phone, but he only told me a time and a place. 10:00 am at the beach."

By now some of the other girls began to clear the table.

Katniss sipped her wine, her eyes growing heavy. Her friends began to scatter, going off to do their own thing before they all crashed. It had been an eventful first day.

Johanna got up from the table, pushing in her chair and walking over to Katniss.

"I'm going to take a shower," she yawned, stretching her arms high over her head before squeezing Katniss' shoulder. "See you up there soon?"

"Yeah. Don't go to sleep without me," she smiled up at her, and Jo nodded.

"Alright."

"Come sit on the porch with me, Kat," Finnick said softly, reaching over to take her hand. He pulled her out of her chair and led her to the back porch. He plopped down on the little porch swing, pulling her down with him. It rocked back and forth as they tried to get comfortable, which took a lot of effort. When they were finally settled, Katniss sitting sideways with her legs arching above Finn's knees, she let out a long, shaky sigh.

"You seem down," he accurately noted, running his finger up and down her shin.

When she narrowed her eyes at him, he blinked with understanding.

"Oh. You're still mad at Peeta. No, I totally get you. That little mouth-to-mouth stunt was kind of ballsy, especially after you two fuc-" the rest of his sentence was muffled underneath Katniss' hand.

"Finn!" she snapped, whipping her head to look inside the house. She could hear someone mulling about as they cleaned the dishes.

"Okay, okay, I'm sorry," he apologized, but his lips pulled into an impish grin. "You still have to tell me what happened, you know. Finding your two friends practically spooning as naked as the day they were born isn't something I can easily forget."

Katniss scowled at him, crossing her arms. "Fine. And we weren't spooning. I – we – well, we just had a lot to drink, really. To be honest, I have no idea if we even…you know…." She broke off, studying her fingernails intently. She left out the part about the drugs, though. And about her possibly being pregnant…her damn period still hadn't come yet. Finnick would probably have a field day trying to figure out who slipped them into their drinks, and she really didn't want to bring any more attention to it.

He didn't answer for a while, but she could feel his gaze on her as she picked at her nails. When he finally did answer, it wasn't what Katniss expected to hear.

"So what's the big deal?" She looked up at him. "I mean, you probably did it, not gonna lie, but friends mess around all the time. Really, Kat, he's probably just happy that he got laid."

She just shrugged. "He's one of my best friends, Finn. And last night I went somewhere I never wanted to go with him…"

"Never?" he asked, quirking an eyebrow. She gave him a look.

"What do you mean?" she asked. He just chuckled, shaking his head.

"Peeta…Peeta's a cutie. He's probably the nicest guy I know, and I see how he makes you laugh. You guys really _know _each other, ya know? And it's not like you and Gale. Even if you were drunk out of your mind, you still wouldn't fuck Gale, am I right? Plus, he'll cook anything for you if you ask. You could do a lot worse, Katniss." Her full name sounded weird coming from his mouth.

This was one of those extremely rare moments where Finnick was being completely serious. He probably sensed this, and gestured between them.

"Now you see, if it was me and you who were in this situation, I definitely wouldn't be complaining. Neither would you." He waggled his eyebrows cockily.

"Shut up, Finn," she gently pushed against his chest. She couldn't believe what he was suggesting; she and Peeta getting together? For a moment, she could picture it: Peeta's long, muscular arms roaming down her back, her fingernails digging into his skin as he kissed lower and lower down her neck, moaning his name when he hit that sensitive spot…

She had absently raised her fingers to touch the place where he had left a mark, now covered by a grey sweatshirt. The vision disappeared before she could even make sense of it, but she found herself wanting to complete that thought.

She felt an unfamiliar burning sensation in her abdomen and Finnick's words repeated through her head, _You could do a lot worse, Katniss._

Finnick's satisfied sigh brought her back to reality. "I still won't tell anyone, unless you tell me to." He squeezed her ankle, and she knew she could trust him. "I'm going to bed. See ya bright n' early at the lifeguard stand!" he laughed, and leaned down to quickly press his lips to her forehead before pulling the sliding-door open and stepping inside. About three seconds after the door had closed it opened again and Peeta stepped onto the wood in just a pair of sweatpants.

"Katniss."

Her heart began to race as she watched his chest rise and fall, and she snuggled further into her sweatshirt and crossed her arms over her chest, suddenly feeling self-conscious.

"What do you want, Peeta?" She tried to muster up her best pissed off voice, but it came out unnaturally high-pitched and shaky. Once again she was having trouble meeting his eyes. When did everything get so complicated?

"I…I want to talk about this. Us. What happened…" he blinked, staring at her with wide, hopeful eyes.

"What happened, happened, Peeta. It's over now. I don't want to talk about it." Something burned in her chest, and she so desperately wanted to wrap her arms around him and cry until she was out of tears. She wanted him to hold her, to run his hands through her hair like he always did when she was upset. She wanted him to hum their favorite song into her ear, bringing a smile to her face.

But she didn't move. She only chewed her bottom lip and held back a whimper.

Seeing her crestfallen expression, he took a timid step forward. When he was sure she wouldn't lash out or push him away, he knelt in front of her, holding the swinging chair steady with one hand. Finally, her cloudy grey eyes met his crystal blue ones, and he spoke again.

"Well, I _want _to talk about it, Katniss. I…I can't stop thinking about it, actually." His face was so close to hers, she wanted to reach out and swipe at his curls, but she kept her hands firmly planted in her lap.

She wanted to say it. She really did, but the words _neither can I_ were stuck painfully to her lips.

"Things will never be the same, Peeta," she whispered hoarsely.

"How could they?" he agreed with her, cupping his hand gently over her knee, goosebumps forming where he touched her.

"But…," and she could feel his breath on her lips as he spoke, "is that such a bad thing?" His words closely resembled Finnick's. Katniss could see his gaze darken and she closed her eyes.

"We're friends."

"Always…"

His hand disappeared from her knee and she felt his finger tilt her chin toward his face. "Always," he repeated, and his lips touched hers gently. She sighed against him, allowing her lips to part slightly as he snaked his fingers through her hair. It was a soft, relaxed kiss, and she had to fight her instincts to keep it from escalating. She lingered against him briefly before pulling away. His nose brushed her cheek and her eyes fluttered open.

"Peeta…"

"You'll always be my friend, Katniss. That's something that will never change. And… I really hope you'll never forget that."

He ran a hand down her arm and gave her fingers a quick squeeze.

"Sweet dreams, 'kay? See you in the morning."

He stepped back into the house and she listened to his footsteps until he reached the stairs.

Katniss ran her tongue over her lips, tasting cinnamon. Sighing, she gripped the chair's handle and pulled herself to her feet. She felt it immediately.

"Oh thank god," she whispered against the breeze before crossing the porch to the door. Katniss made sure to lock it before she swiftly went in search of a tampon.

When she softly pushed open her bedroom door, she was greeted with a snore. Johanna was splayed across her bed, sleeping soundly. Katniss quietly washed up in the bathroom, slipping on a pair of pajama pants and sliding underneath the covers.

No matter how hard she tried, sleep did not come easily. Even though she had gotten her period, Katniss was hardly mollified. The conversation on the porch was a song stuck on repeat, and she couldn't get it out of her mind.

She could still smell the cinnamon, and wondered if Peeta was still awake in his room that he shared with Finnick across the hall. She reached over to grab her phone, squinting against the bright light that made their dark room glow.

_3:54 AM. _

She shut off the phone and collapsed back into her pillows. She could hear Gale's loud snoring from down the hall; he had claimed one of the single rooms, Thresh had taken the other. Everyone else had doubled up.

When sleep did finally consume her, it was neither deep nor serene. She was aware of her surroundings, and the feeling of Peeta's lips still lingered against her own.


	6. Chapter 6

**Hello everyone! Jeez, it's been a while, but I finally have Chapter 6 ready for y'all. The super long wait was due to a very stressful end of the school year mixed with a little bit (okay, a lot) of writer's block. I want to assure you that I will NOT give up on this story, and that updates will be more regular. Please let me know what you think and if you have any ideas or you want to see something happen in the story, let me know and I'll consider including it. Thanks so much!**

-Mel

* * *

Katniss was pulled from sleep when her phone began to blare and vibrate on the nightstand beside her head. The sound was very irritating and unpleasant, and it usually woke her up every morning, but all she wanted to do was go back to bed. She sleepily groped for it, but her arm was entangled in the sheets, and she ended up pushing it off the edge. It clattered to the floor and when she heard a groan from across the room she knew she had woken Johanna.

"Sorry," Katniss apologized, blinking against the rays of sun that permeated their bedroom. She stretched to scoop up her phone, frantically pressing at the 'off' button, but the fall seemed to have frozen it.

"Katniss!" Jo rumbled, her voice muffled by her pillow. Katniss tapped at the phone, shook it, and tried repeatedly to unfreeze it, but nothing was working. If anything, the alarm only blared louder, and she was becoming increasingly frustrated.

"Arghh!" She heard Gale's moan from a few doors down, and was caught off guard when the door flung open and slammed against the wall. Finnick started toward her, bare of clothing except for some boxer briefs, and grabbed the phone from her hand forcefully. He clicked the top button once and the beeping ceased. She stared at the phone in disbelief, her cheeks reddening. Miffed, he tossed it onto her mattress and stomped out of the room.

"You were going to have to wake up soon, anyway!" She called after him, before her mouth stretched into a yawn. After rubbing her eyes a few times, she tossed aside her covers and began to get ready for the day. Johanna had seemingly fallen asleep again, so Katniss chucked one of her pillows at her friend's head.

"Everdeen, you're on my last nerve." Johanna threw aside the pillow and began to emerge from her cocoon of blankets. Katniss shrugged, twisting her hair into a loose braid and walking over to her bureau. Opening the top drawer, she pulled out a red bikini with the letters 'CBP' printed in white. They stood for Capitol Beach Patrol. Johanna had a matching suit, and the guys had red swim shorts. They'd had the option to wear a red speedo, something that initially Finnick approved of, but Gale and Peeta wouldn't allow it. Katniss pulled a black baseball cap over her head and grabbed her sunglasses from the side-table.

"Don't forget sunscreen," she muttered to Jo, who was admiring her form in the mirror behind the closet door.

"Don't ya think this makes my butt look good?" she mused, turning around to show Katniss, who only rolled her eyes.

"Yeah, amazing, Jo," she snapped. Johanna looked up at her, quirking an eyebrow. "What crawled up your butt and died?"

Pinching the bridge of her nose, Katniss collapsed back onto her bed in a heap of emotion. She needed to vent; hopefully she could trust Jo to keep things on the down low for a while, but it was now or never. Usually, with a problem like this, she'd go straight to Peeta. Never before had _Peeta_ been the actual problem. Katniss felt the bed shift as her friend sat down next to her, eyeing her with concern.

"Spill, Kat."

She turned to face her friend, drawing her knees up to her chest.

"So…the night of the party…" she started, her eyes drooping to look at her toes. "I think Peeta and I…I think we…"

"Hooked up?" When Katniss's eyes fluttered up to meet Johanna's, they were laced with amusement. Jo snorted.

"Don't be so surprised! You guys were touchy-feely the whole night. And _especially_ hammered. How many drinks did you guys fucking have?"

Katniss buried her face in her hands. "A lot, but… there's something else." She peeked at her friend through her hands.

"Good, cause what you just told me was old news. Good for you, by the way. Everybody thinks you and Peet make a cute couple."

This caught her attention.

"Wait, what? Me and Peeta?"

"Uh, yeah! Who else? Do you _see _the way he looks at you? Are you _that_ oblivious?" she added when Katniss shook her head.

Something fluttered deep in her chest. Clearing her throat, Katniss continued.

"I never thought- I never knew-"

"You've been avoiding the truth, Kat. From what he tells me, I think he's been hooked on you ever since you guys met."

Katniss threw her a sharp look.

"He talks about me?"

Jo nodded vigorously.

"The kid thinks you hung the moon. I seriously can't believe you haven't been able to see that. We just assumed you knew…we didn't want you to lead him on, but we figured at the party you guys finally, you know, realized what you meant to each other…"

"Who's we?"

"You know…. everyone."

Katniss was quiet, contemplating her words. She really couldn't believe she'd been that absentminded about Peeta. She always figured he reciprocated her feelings about just being friends. The kiss last night suddenly made a little more sense.

"That's not all, Jo."

The petite girl's eyes widened, a smirk playing at her lips.

"You guys did it!" It wasn't a question, and she began to snicker. "'Bout time, I think." Katniss grabbed her wrist.

"That's the thing…. I have no idea. We…uh…we woke up naked in the lifeguard stand," At this, Johanna scrunched her nose, "and we both remember nothing. Jo…I've been drunk before. Never before have I woken up knowing absolutely nothing about what happened to me the night before."

Jo clicked her teeth together, her playfulness replaced by a look of great concern. Her eyebrows knitted together and she pursed her lips.

"So you're saying…"

"I'm saying I think someone slipped drugs into our drinks when we weren't looking."

Johanna nodded slowly. "And…you want me to try to figure out who did it?"

Katniss swallowed. "You would be a great help. Finnick already knows, he caught us that morning…" Her face flushed a brilliant red as Johanna guffawed, slapping her knee.

"But…I don't want anyone else to know right now. Don't tell Gale, especially…it was probably someone from Cato's group, and if he finds out he'll beat the crap out of him…"

"Yeah, what was with them anyway? I saw the look Gale gave Cato…remind me to never piss him off," Johanna added pointedly. Taking Katniss's hand in her own, she gave it a squeeze.

"I'll do my best, and I won't tell anyone. Listen…thanks for telling me this, Kat. I bet you're so frustrated, not knowing what happened and all. But if it makes you feel any better, I don't think Peeta would ever do anything to hurt you, no matter how loaded you were."

"Thanks, Jo," Katniss half-smiled at her friend's reassuring words.

"But if I may add, I really think you should give Peeta a chance. You could do a lot worse."

"That's what Finnick said," Katniss blushed. "He kissed me last night."

"Who, Finnick!?" she burst out.

"Shh! No, not Finnick! Ew! Well, not _ew,_ he's pretty fine if you ask me, but I meant _Peeta,_ duh durr…"

Jo clutched her chest with relief. "Well, you're on your way then," she said with a wink. The two girls got to their feet, grabbing the last few things they needed for the beach.

"Oh," Jo grabbed Katniss's elbow as they were about to exit the room, "You shouldn't let this ruin your summer, okay? Shit like this happens, but this summer is too important. Just…let go and have fun. And don't avoid Peeta," she finished.

Johanna knew her so well. It was like a weight had been lifted off her shoulders. Telling Jo hadn't been as bad as she thought it would be. Like Finnick, she had been very understanding. She was overcome with gratitude for her friends, and she found herself blinking back a few tears as she followed Jo down the steps.

_Damn period. I'm an emotional wreck._

When they walked into the kitchen Finnick was leaning against the island, shirtless and ever so tan. He was grinning from ear to ear, and his bright red shorts made his teeth look impossibly white.

"My lovelies!" He gasped, pulling both her and Johanna in for a tight bear hug. Katniss chuckled inwardly when she felt Finnick flex his abdominal muscles before releasing them. Gale was perched on the counter, sipping a glass of orange juice, and Peeta stood nearby, wrapping something in a napkin. The tight grey shirt he wore strained against his muscles when he bent to grab something from a lower cabinet. She couldn't help but notice the way his swim shorts perfectly fitted his bottom; she could just make out the outline of his…

"Katniss." Jo, who gave her a knowing grin, interrupted her stare.

"See something you like?" Finnick teased, tugging on the end of her braid.

She couldn't see his face, but by the way his shoulders were shaking she guessed Peeta was trying not to laugh.

"Oh…um…nothing," Katniss shook her head. "Morning guys."

"Morning!" They all piped happily, finishing the remnants of a quick breakfast.

"Ready for the waves?" Gale asked Peeta, who nodded excitedly. "I can't wait to feel the water. "

"Come on, guys," Jo tugged on Gale and Finn's elbows, directing them towards the patio.

"We'll meet you down there!"

Katniss threw Jo a dirty look as they stepped through the glass door. Despite her previous warning not to avoid Peeta, Katniss still felt a little uncomfortable being alone with him.

"Here," Peeta spoke quietly, his voice still a little hoarse from the morning. He handed her something wrapped with a napkin.

"It's blueberry," he blinked, his eyes wide and hopeful.

The muffin felt warm and unbelievably soft in her hands. Its scent wafted throughout the room, and she had to refrain from sticking the whole thing in her mouth then and there.

"Thanks, Peeta," she murmured in his direction, but she couldn't bring herself to meet his eyes. After what happened the previous night, Katniss was still confused and very unsure about where their relationship was going. If anything, she feared they would never return to that state of being able to tell each other anything. Right now, it felt like they were two fifteen year olds awkwardly avoiding each other after their first kiss.

"You're welcome, Kitty," he nodded, breaking her thoughts, before turning back to the oven to take out the next batch. The smile on his lips was undeniable as Katniss opened the door and whisked across the back patio.

Morning was already in full swing. The sun had already warmed up the beach so that the sand was hot beneath her toes. Taking her sandals in her hands, she hopped swiftly across the sand to join Gale, Finnick, and Jo, who were standing in the shadow cast by the lifeguard stand. When she discarded her red tank top to reveal her matching bikini top, Finnick whistled.

"I don't think I've ever seen lifeguards who are hotter than we are. Like, we're top of the line sexy. I'm not even kidding," He added when Johanna threw him an incredulous look. Katniss shrugged. She didn't know about herself, but the people around her definitely met that description. Gale was tall, dark, and handsome. Something about his mysterious demeanor made girls swoon. Johanna was small, but she had all the right curves in all the right places. Finnick was god-like, he had an air-brushed look about him that made him rival any Hollister model.

"Maybe we can reenact Baywatch," said a voice dripping sarcasm from behind her. Katniss almost choked on the piece of muffin she was eating when she turned to watch Peeta attempting to run in slow motion. She couldn't help but admire the toned form of his body, tight abs, broad shoulders, and big biceps. If anything, Peeta was the fittest, surpassing both Finnick and Gale. The thought alone brought heat to Katniss's cheeks.

"That's actually a perfect imitation, Peet," Jo chuckled, and he broke into a dimpled grin. He swiped at a runaway curl on his forehead and slapped Finnick on the shoulder.

"We're going to own this beach," he said playfully, and for the first time since their kiss the night before, Katniss met his gaze.

"Right, Kat?" His impossibly blue eyes locked onto hers, and she couldn't suppress the chill that ran along her spine at the eye contact. He was having an effect on her that she wasn't used to, and she couldn't decide if she liked it or not. It wasn't until Finn cleared his throat that she remembered he was speaking to her.

"Oh, um, yeah. Right, Peet."

A moment of uncomfortable silence followed while Peeta grinned and Katniss fiddled with the end of her braid.

"So," Gale finally clapped, "I think that might be Cinna walking toward us." Katniss followed his pointed finger to a figure slowly approaching them.

"Ah, my team! So good to finally meet you all," the man exclaimed as he came within earshot. One by one, they extended their hands in a greeting.

"So I'm going to get right into this," Cinna warned, and Katniss felt her heart drop slightly.

"This summer, no matter who comes to this beach, each and every day you will have their lives in your hands. The second someone so much as touches the water, they're your responsibility. Being a lifeguard is a lot more than swimming out to rescue someone, though. You're putting your own lives at risk. You're going to realize that sitting out in the hot sun waiting for someone to save may be the biggest challenge for you. It will be frustrating, and it will be demanding. I expect that each day you'll include at least an hour of physical training on your own time. Also, just because you're near the ocean doesn't mean you won't need to drink water. Drink _lots_ of water. You don't know how many lifeguards I've had to fire just because they became too dehydrated to stay alert. Remember: While you're here, the beach is _your_ property. It will be up to you to make sure it stays clean and safe. Lastly, and most importantly, I hope you can all swim," he finished with a smirk.

Katniss shot Finnick a warning glare when he began to shake his head.

"So if you'll all follow me to the water, I'm going to begin by demonstrating how exactly a rescue tube works…"

Katniss was caught off guard when Peeta grasped her elbow and pulled her around to meet his gaze. He glanced around, making sure the others were out of earshot when he bent close to her face.

"I hate this."

Well, she wasn't quite expecting that to come out of his mouth.

"You hate what, Peeta?" She sighed, irritated. Sometimes he was just too hard to read.

"This. Us. Not talking. I hate it so fucking much, it actually hurts," he grabbed his chest.

When she saw the sincerity in his eyes, she relaxed her stance. She was just so overwhelmed by the entire incident that she hadn't realized she'd been pushing her best friend away. _It's just something that comes naturally, _she told herself miserably. Katniss hung her head.

"I know. I miss you," she breathed, and it almost came out as a whimper. She took a step closer, even venturing to weave her fingers through his.

Peeta raised an eyebrow. "You do? It honestly didn't seem like it. I kiss you and this morning you couldn't even meet my eyes. How's that supposed to make me feel?"

She wanted to retaliate, to bring up the CPR stunt, but she knew he was right. She had left him hanging, unsure and confused.

"You're right. I'm sorry. I just…I honestly don't know what to feel, Peeta. One minute we're best friends and the next we're having sex in the lifeguard stand. Then you kiss me. What am I supposed to think?" Her eyes searched his for an honest answer.

He paused for a moment, licking his lips. Katniss watched him carefully.

"Well… I think…I think I don't want to be your friend anymore."

Katniss let go of his fingers and crossed her arms. She backed up a step, her eyes taking on a guarded expression.

"What's that supposed to mean?" She wanted it to sound like she was offended, but her question only reflected sadness and utter disappointment. She felt like Peeta was finally giving up on them, like maybe her personality was just too much to handle.

The corners of his mouth twitched as he summed up the courage to tell her what he truly felt. He reached over to untangle her arms, once again taking her hands in his.

"I don't want to be your friend anymore, because that's not enough for me."

"What's not enough for you, Peeta? I'm doing the best I can, I've never read 'Friends for Dummies', so I don't know what you're-"

"Katniss, shut up."

"-expecting from me! Honestly? So far this summer has been off to a real suckish start, and-"

"Katniss, please shut up."

"-you're the reason why! I've been so hung up over this whole thing, and I can't even concentrate on-"

She was cut off when his lips crashed into hers, her rant instantly replaced by a moan that slipped out before she could even process what was happening. His lips were warm and soft, melding perfectly with hers. She reached up to wrap her arms around his neck, and when she tugged at the hairs at his nape he responded with a groan. His hands slowly made their way down her sides to rest at her hips, sending a shiver up her spine. Time seemed to slow as he pulled her even closer, seeking entrance to her mouth with the tip of his tongue. She was about to oblige when she felt him stiffen against her, and then slowly retreat. When she opened her eyes she saw that his were no longer closed, but were locked on something behind them. With his hands still on her hips, she swiveled around to meet four pairs of astonished eyes.

Well, shit. Katniss quickly pulled out of Peeta's grasp, but nobody else moved. Their friends stared back at them; Finnick and Johanna looked smug, while Gale wore an expression of downright confusion. Cinna just looked annoyed.

She opened her mouth to defend her actions, but Johanna crossed her arms and spoke before she even had the chance.

"Well, fina-fucking-ly. Glad to see you two are on the same page now. But can we please get back to training before you end up in the lifeguard stand-" her words were muffled when Finnick's hand clapped over her lips, cutting her sentence short.

"Good for you guys, really," he laughed nervously, which was very uncharacteristic for Finnick.

Gale, however, still looked dumbfounded.

"Come on, big brother," Johanna tugged on his elbow, "let's give them some time to catch up. I'm sure they'll explain later."

Cinna approached them next.

"I can see you two may need to work a few things out…we'll be practicing some swimming strokes. When you're ready, feel free to join us."

Katniss could have sworn she saw him roll his eyes. Swallowing nervously, she turned back to Peeta, who was grinning at her like he'd just won the lottery.

Her stomach did a nervous flip when he reached out to envelop her in a hug. Ever so slowly, she wound her arms up and around his neck, pulling his head down so that they could look into each other's eyes. She breathed in deeply and was comforted by his familiar scent of cinnamon and bodywash.

It was a while before she felt brave enough to speak, though. She actually couldn't believe that this was happening. So many times had she and Peeta embraced, and yet this one held an entirely different meaning. Normally, in situations that left her utterly confused, she would back out before things got too serious and go find comfort in one of her friends, most likely Peeta. This was different. Something in her gut told her to stay. After all, Peeta _was_ comforting her.

_I want this,_ her thoughts echoed, and she knew what she had to do.

"We should try." Her words were soft on her lips as she looked up at him shyly.

"What do you mean?" Her murmured against her forehead, smiling.

"You know…. this. Being together." The fear of rejection was caught in her throat, but she forced herself to look him in the eyes.

"I know," he said playfully. "I just wanted to hear you say it."

Katniss pulled at a piece of hair on his neck, but she couldn't hide the smile that ghosted over her lips. The idea of being with Peeta romantically was so overwhelmingly unfamiliar… but she wanted him all the same. She _desired_ him.

"Let's just…take things slow," she suggested, chewing on her bottom lip.

His gaze became serious.

"Of course, Katniss... we don't have to do anything you don't want to do. This is…this is _unreal_ for me. I, uh, kind of…always had a thing for you." His stammering made her feel a little less nervous.

"So I've heard," she chuckled. "I just feel so bad that I never realized it. And now that I do, it's like…_wow. _I seriously want this, Peeta. I…I want you." In fact, she was certain of it. His warm, emotional gaze made her heart flutter. Slowly, he leaned in closer so that he could whisper in her ear.

"You don't know the effect you have," he breathed, and began to kiss her gently. Katniss's eyes fluttered shut when his mouth touched hers. Unlike their last kiss, this one was slow and sweet. She felt herself leaning into the kiss, reaching up to cup his cheek. When she finally pulled away, she was grinning widely. Her cheeks were flushed with delight. This was _her _Peeta. Her best friend, only now he was more than that.

When her heart rate began to decelerate, she brushed a stray curl out off of Peeta's forehead and then grabbed his hand.

"Peeta, we're going to get fired. We have _plenty_ of time for…well, whatever else we want to do." He quirked an eyebrow at this, and her face flushed.

"Let's just go back to the others, okay?" Peeta chuckled and bent down one last time to give her a quick peck on the lips.

"This is going to be the best summer ever," he said, threading his fingers through hers as they made their way down the beach.

"Oh, and it wasn't going to be before this happened?" Katniss chided.

Peeta's cheeks burned and he bit back a smile.

"I didn't say that. But now it will be even _better_."

"I hope you're damn right, Mellark."


End file.
